The Story Of Us
by KnowMyNameNotMyStory
Summary: Life can't always be a fairy tale, but who's to say we can't pick up a pen and write one ourselves? Because once you see past the typical prince charming and find your one true love, the ultimate love story that can ever be written is your own.
1. Chapter 1

**Cat POV**

"Yes! We're here! We're home!"

"I don't know what you're smiling about, Cat. We still have to deal with this damn traffic."

"Oh you're just being bitter because Beck isn't here with you."

"Well, you would feel the same if you had to be separated from your husband for 3 months."

"Well he may not be my husband, but my boyfriend and I are separated too ya know. I wanted Danny to come but I couldn't force him to leave school to follow me."

"Yeah, for a boy who barely went to class, he didn't follow you because of school. Isn't that a little skeptical?"

"Look, Jade, I know you don't like him, but Danny is a good guy. He probably realized he needs to mature and finish college."

"Yeah, whatever Cat, come on let's grab a cab."

That's Jade West-Oliver, my best friend since 8th grade. Jade and I are back in Los Angeles, our hometown. We left for school in New York five years ago; Jade went to NYU for acting but instead became a director and I went to Le Cordon Bleu for pastry school. After college, Jade was asked to direct two independent films in the past year, asking me to star in both, and I worked as a baker at a renowned bake shop to save up money for when I open a shop of my own. Jade was offered a huge deal by an independent film company on Los Angeles and since her husband Beck Oliver, yes THE Beck "Heartthrob" Oliver, was shooting a movie in Puerto Rico for 3 months, she decided it would be a good time for us to move. I'm here for two reasons, to be with my bestie and to open a bake shop. Don't get me wrong, I love acting and I won't stop if opportunities are given to me, but baking is my passion. I even saved up enough money to purchase a space downtown.

We reached Jade's apartment and settled in. I would be staying with her for the time being until Beck got back and then find a place of my own. I love her and Beck, but I know they want their privacy.

That day we barely had time to unpack because I had to make my final deposit and Jade had her first meeting with the company. I made my way to my soon-to-be bakery and paid the leasing guy my deposit. He handed me the keys and the place was mine. I felt victorious. Five years of hard work and now I have a place to call my own. I got a broom and swept a few cobwebs to the side when the door opened.

"Hi, you must be Cat. I'm Trina. I used to work for Miss Georgia, the lady who owned this store before you."

"Oh, hi Trina. Yeah this place is great. I'm so glad I won the bidding war."

"I bet, not only is this a great spot downtown, but this part of the building is the best. Come on let me show you what else you got."

Trina was right about this building being great. The space was at a corner of a busy street and across from a park with such a spacious floor for a bakery. But the best part was where Trina took me next. Turns out the upstairs led to the rooftop of the building and my bakery was the only one with access- meaning this rooftop was mine! We weren't as high off the ground, about 3 stories, but it was high enough to see over the park across the street and enjoy the city lights. There was an old couch and a poker table up there. It looked abandoned but still beautiful and silent compared to the night life downstairs.

"Wow, did Miss Georgia know about this?"

"Sure did. She had 3 sons so they spent poker nights up here whenever they were in town. That Miss Georgia was a great lady."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did she sell her bakery?"

"It was time for her to retire. And her sons already had jobs, plus none of them lived in Los Angeles. I worked for her for 6 years out of the 8 years she had this place. Such a sweet lady giving me a job while I was in college. But for the past 4 months since she sold it, I've been jobless. I just came by here to wish the new owner good luck and I had a hunch the realtors never told you about the rooftop."

This Trina girl was nice. I mean, I only just met her, but she seemed like a person I needed beside me to run this business.

"Say, Trina."

"Yes?"

"What are your plans now?"

"Well, I graduated with a business degree but 'hostess' on your resume isn't really a gold star for businesspeople. I'm trying to find a boring desk job because well, that's the experience I need for business."

"How about I make you an offer? I need a right-hand man if I'm going to run this bakery. I mean, I went to pastry school, not business school. I even went to an Arts School so not much knowledge in running a sturdy venture. And I'm looking for a shift manager. You in?"

"Cat, I can't…"

"Why not? You know this area more than I do and you said yourself you're a business major. A boring corporate office may not see that gold star but I do."

"You drive a hard bargain Missy."

"Good." I said and shook her hand. "Welcome to Red Velvet Bakery."

"Ooooh is that your specialty?"

"Sure is. I went to pastry school to learn about everything else, but my best friend told me red velvet cupcakes is my specialty."

"Well then boss, I'm excited to get to work! See you in the morning!"

Trina left a few minutes later and I called Jade to the bake shop. She was just as amazed by the view of the rooftop and we both agreed that this spot could be a regular hangout.

"So what's on your agenda tomorrow?"

"I've got a meeting with David, the producer, at 2. We're picking prospects for the new film. Should be fun. What about you?"

"Cleaning up the shop with Trina. She used to work for the lady before me and she seemed like she knew how to operate things. It'll be good to know someone after being gone for 5 years, right?"

"Agreed."

We sat back on the ratty old couch and looked at the night sky. It was a marshmallow moon out tonight, so round and bright.

"Can you believe it Kitty-Cat, we're finally back home and we're living the dream."

"Yeah, another pair of Hollywood Art's alumni with success stories."

"I miss Hollywood Arts. I wonder how Andre and Robbie are doing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Robbie POV**

"Full house! I win! Pay up, 'Dre."

"Ugh every time!"

"Wanna play again?"

"I ran out of chips, dog. You dried me out."

"Or we can work something out."

"Nah, man. Don't pull no Jade West crap on me. I remember Hammer Time. Most embarrassing moment in high school."

"Haha you gotta admit, though it was pretty fun."

"Yeah, I guess you're right Rob. I wonder what Jade is up to nowadays?"

"Yeah, Cat too. They were inseparable in high school."

"You would know, you followed Cat around like a hound dog."

"Shut up… So I saw Jade's second film. Cat was amazing!"

"Mhm, Cat again, bro?"

"Shut up, man!"

"But seriously though. She should start directing major films instead! I'm sure she'd make it big time here."

I took a swig of my beer as I nodded in agreement. That's Andre Harris. He's been my best friend since I met him in 9th grade. The other two girls we were talking about, Cat and Jade, were our friends in high school too. The four of us were close until Cat and Jade left for New York. Now, five years later I'm still fortunate enough to at least have Andre as a good friend.

"Speaking of time, I've got a meeting to go to."

"Dude, another meeting? I know you work at Dreamworks but man, how many tech meetings do they need?"

"Come on Andre, you know I was top of the tech theatre class at Hollywood Arts. I may not be VP of IT and graphics, but I am up there. I'll see you in a couple hours bro."

"Alright, later."

* * *

My meeting ended really early so I decided to check out this new bakery downtown. Miss Georgia's was really great so I hope "Red Velvet Bakery" is just as good. I stepped inside and man was the place different. But a good different. The walls were painted a crème with a Red velvet stripe across the walls. There were more chairs than before, but it was still spacious, and a nice red couch against the wall near the restrooms. Nice remodel. I sat at the bar and recognized the hostess.

"Hey Trina, you still work here? I thought Miss Georgia sold this place?"

"Hey Robbie. She did, but the new owner kept me. Only took us 3 days to do all this. She's a sweetheart. I think she's your age too. Graduated a year ago."

Trina poured me a cup of coffee as we continued our conversation.

"Really? Where is she from?"

"New York. But she was originally from here. She went to Hollywood Arts."

"What?! I went to Hollywood Arts! What was her talent?"

"She did costume design and acting. She was in a few indie films but she wanted to open her own bakery so she went to pastry school. You've got to try these Red Velvet cupcakes. She may have gone to school for baking, but these cupcakes she knew before school."

Trina handed me a cupcake; it looked simple but cute. I took a bite of it and somehow nostalgia crept up in my mind and all I could think about was Cat. Yes, Cat Valentine. She made the BEST cupcakes in high school and these cupcakes tasted exactly the same.

"Oh My God, this is amazing! Who made this?" I said and took another bite.

"The owner, her name's Cat Valentine."

I nearly choked on my cupcake when she said that name. "Did you say Cat Valentine?"

"Sure did. Why? Do you know her?"

Suddenly the back door opened and out stepped Cat.

"Robbie?!"

"Cat?!"

"Well, that answered my question," Trina chuckled.

Cat Ran over from the other side of the counter and gave me the biggest hug ever. I stood back and took a good look at her. Just the same bubbly Kitty-Cat I knew in high school.

"Wow, Robbie, you look great! It's been like 5 years, huh?"

"Yeah it has. And might I say, you are looking lovelier as ever."

"Thanks" Cat blushed.

"So you're the new owner of this bakery, huh? What did I say in high school, you're red velvet cupcakes would sell like hot cakes!"

"That you did say," Cat smiled.

"So what brings you here? I heard you went to New York?"

"Yeah well Jade got a gig here so we both decided to take the next chapter of our lives and come back to our roots."

"Jade's here too? Man wait 'til I tell Andre. We were just talking about you girls earlier."

"Andre's still in town too?! Oh my gosh we should all have dinner and catch up sometime!"

"Well Andre and I aren't busy tonight so if you and Jade are free we can have dinner at my place."

"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Shapiro," She smiled.

"See you tonight, Ms. Valentine" I said as I gave her my address and left the bakery.

* * *

Cat, Jade, and Andre showed up at my loft at around 7. We had dinner and caught up with each other the whole night.

"Andre, congratulations on your mix tape. It was amazing!"

"Thanks, Cat. It was really fun to work on. I'm actually working on my first studio album with my girlfriend's record label this whole summer while she's on tour."

"Who's your girlfriend?" Jade asked while taking a sip of her wine. The girls were in for a treat.

"Tori Vega." He replied nonchalantly. Typical Andre.

Jade spit out her wine and she and Cat both shrieked, "YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH TORI VEGA?!"

"Like major popstar"

"Platinum record"

"2 Grammy nominations, TORI VEGA?"

Andre and I both chuckled at the amazement both Jade and Cat knew about Tori.

"Yeah, all of the above." Andre said.

"Wow, Harris. Gotta hand it to you, great job!" Jade commented.

"Yeah well I hear you've got quite a handful on your plate too, Jade." Andre said.

"Yeah, you directed two indie films in one year! That's the Jade West we knew would make it shine." I added.

"Oh ho ho, her name isn't West anymore," Cat smiled, "Ms West is a Mrs now."

"Cat, shush!" Jade blushed.

"Aw come on, lil' red. Tell us! Who's the lucky guy?" Andre begged.

"Beck Oliver."

"BECK OLIVER?!" Andre and I both yelled. The same way the girls yelled earlier about Tori.

"That's the one" Cat said.

"My gosh, look at you two, you both got it good," I said.

"Hey, they're just names. All that matters is we're happy, right, Jade?" Andre said.

"Yeah, and look at you and Cat, just because our names our out there doesn't mean we'll ever abandon you guys. Let's not forget Cat starred in both of my films and worked for the best New York Bakery in town. Now she's got her own place."

"And Robbie's the IT Manager at Dreamworks and Senior Graphic designer. We're all happy, right?" Andre asked.

"We sure are Andre," Cat smiled.

"I say we toast to that!" I said and we raised our glasses.

I sure was happy. I was with my three best friends, just like the old days.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cat POV **

After dinner Jade and Andre went over to Robbie's living room and started recording songs for fun on his looping machine, like they did in high school, while I helped Robbie clean up in the kitchen.

"You really don't have to help me clean, Cat. I've got it."

"No, I insist. Thanks again for inviting us over."

"Well, we lost touch for 5 years, I couldn't let this opportunity slide."

"Yeah… Sorry for not keeping in touch, Rob. I really wanted to call you and just chat, but we just got busy, you know?"

"I know. I mean it's also my fault too. I could've easily picked up that phone and dialed your number but I didn't either. Time really does go by before you know it."

"I'm glad we're both understanding then" I smiled at him and he returned my smile.

After we put the dishes away and cleared the table, we sat there as he poured us another glass of wine.

"So Cat, got a leading man in your life right now?"

"No actor or singer, but I do have a boyfriend. His name's Danny."

"Ah, Danny. Lucky guy" Robbie winked, "How long have you been together?"

"Almost 10 months. He was picking up a cake for his sister's wedding and we hit it off while we were waiting for his order."

"So you think he's the one?"

"I don't know. I love him, but Jade doesn't seem to be fond of him. And I had to leave him behind because he isn't finished with school yet. But we're just seeing how things go."

"Ah long distance relationships. Most don't last, but the one's that do, it's true love."

I smiled at Robbie and he gave me one too. "So what about you, Mister? How's the love life?"

"Well, Lisa's my girlfriend. We've been together for over a year now. She's a store manager at Banana Republic."

For some reason I couldn't help but notice Robbie wasn't as enthusiastic to talk about his girlfriend.

"So, do you think she's the one?"

"I don't know. I love her too but she's always complaining I don't have time for her. Sometimes I get too caught up in my work and I can't help it. I'm a workaholic," Robbie sighed.

"I don't think you're a workaholic." I said and touched his shoulder.

He looked up with hope, "You don't?"

"Yeah, I mean, for someone who's so busy, he would never make time for a nice dinner like tonight. Time is crucial and here you are having a conversation with me instead of being at the office."

Robbie smiled and simply stated, "Well you're right about one thing, time is crucial, but I only make time for the special people in my life."

That made me blush a little but I hid it from him as I took a sip of my wine.

"So Cat, still into Red Velvet cupcakes, I see. You have any new obsessions lately?"

"Actually I do. I've got a slight obsession with this artist. The Artist had these paintings at the galleria near the bakery I worked at and everyday I'd go there and just look at them. They were so beautiful."

"Oh yeah? Who's the artist."

"August Love."

"Ah, August Love. The newbie."

"Yeah, and did you know August also writes novels? Every cover art is an August Love painting. I love his series!"

"He? I thought August was a she?"

"Well, August Love portrayed himself as a girl first to sell more books, but once everyone found out, every girl loved him even more. I would so dump Danny for August any day."

"Haha oh Cat. I'd hate to be Danny."

"Oh my God, don't tell Danny I said that!"

"I won't. That's interesting. God the things people do to make an extra buck. Disguising themselves as a girl to sell more novels?"

"Have you even read any of his books? They're so amazing!"

"Yeah I've read a few. Good stuff, you're right about that."

Robbie and I spent the rest of the night talking about the past 5 years and once it was midnight, Jade, Andre and I left. We all promised to have dinner every week to make up for the five years we were separated. Five years really did make a difference, but I'm back with my best friends, just like the old days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Robbie POV**

It's been about three weeks since Cat and Jade moved back to Los Angeles and we're picking things where we left off. They come to my place for dinner every Thursday and on our down times we're hanging out at Cat's bakery. But every day Cat and I talked, whether it is on the phone or at her rooftop, we'd talk.

I got out of work early tonight and didn't feel like going home. Well, if 8:30 pm is counted as early compared to 10pm. Andre was laying down a new track and Jade was in back to back meetings. In addition, I just had such a tough day and I wanted to see Cat. She always knew how to make me feel better.

"Hey Cat!"

"Hey Robbie! Be with you in a minute, just gotta wait on these last few customers and then we're closed."

"Sure thing, don't mind me, just here for the cupcakes."

"Help yourself! There's also coffee."

About 15 minutes later the last customer left with Cat's famous cupcakes and she flipped the sign over to "Closed".

"Whew! Finally, tonight was brutal. Who knew that people craved cupcakes on summer nights! I would think the ice cream parlor down the street would be busier."

"Well how could anyone resist? These cupcakes are AMAZING."

"Thanks Rob. Listen I'd hate to ask but Trina took a day off today so I'm by myself…."

"Say no more, where's the broom stick?"

"Aw Rob, thanks so much. But I promise we'll clean really fast so we can go on the rooftop."

"No problem, Kitty-Cat. Let's get to work."

After a half an hour we managed to clean up the place and got everything ready for the next morning. It was around 9:30 pm and we finally made our way to the rooftop. The cold summer breeze really hit the spot on such a hard day's work for both of us. We sat at the couch and sipped our coffees.

"So how was your day Robbie?"

I sighed. I couldn't hide my stress. "In all honesty, not so great."

"Aw, wanna talk about it?"

"Just, so many decisions to make because we've got a new project, and I have so much on my plate right now. I don't know everyone is looking at me with disappointment, that I'm losing my groove. I feel stupid sometimes when I can't make the simplest decisions."

I looked away for a bit and then turned to Cat. She was quiet.

"Sorry for just laying that all out on you. I just had a really stressful day."

"No, it's not a problem Robbie. Thanks for telling me. But truth be told, I feel like that everyday. I wasn't the smartest girl in high school, and I wasn't the top of my class at Cordon Bleu either."

"Oh come on, Cat. Don't sell yourself short. You're smart."

"Thanks but you're just saying that Robbie."

I was a little offended. Why would she think I'm saying meaningless things to her?

"I mean it Cat, you're smart. Any guy could see that."

"Danny thinks I'm so dense. I embarrass him sometimes."

"Is Danny smart?"

"Not the smartest, but he does act smarter than me."

"What do you mean act?"

"You know, like when we're in public. You're the smartest boy I know, Robbie, and sometimes I have to work hard to act intelligent around smart people like you."

"Why would you have to act like something you're not?"

"Because one time I went to an art gallery with Jade and Danny and I was so awestruck by the paintings. One of the artists asked me my opinion about their painting and I said it was beautiful and the colors mixed together like cotton candy and the moon was like a marshmallow. She looked at me like I was crazy and laughed. Saying I got it all wrong and it had nothing to do with candy. I didn't mean it to be literally like candy, just a happy panting and candy makes me happy. When I didn't know what to say back, I left crying and Danny yelled at me for saying the stupidest answer and stormed off. Jade said to ignore what he said. But still, it makes me feel stupid to express myself. The artist herself said I was wrong."

"Well that artist is a jerk. Haven't they learned anything about art? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You're description was problem spot on, in your perspective. Don't let anyone make you feel stupid like that. You're really bright, Cat."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, and stop beating yourself up. Who cares if they think you're dumb."

"I do. It's hard to go everyday being seen as the dumb one. It's shameful."

"You're not dumb, Cat. Ok?"

"Thanks, Robbie. You know, you never make me feel stupid, even if I don't say the right words."

"You're making perfect sense to me" I smiled and she returned it.

I can't believe Danny would call Cat dense. I mentally kicked his ass and just sat there with Cat as we took in the rest of the night. I hope she knows I meant what I said. Cat's smarter than most people give her credit for. It's time she realizes that.

* * *

A/N: Hey yall I'm back. I know I didn't name the chapters after songs like I usually do, but I do have a playlist that basically gave me inspiration for this whole story. Plus, the number of songs is less than the amount of chapters that this fic will have so it wouldn't work out. At the end of the story I'll publish the song names that helped me write the fic.

As for the realness of this story... I wrote this for a class so it's mostly fiction. The only real things are the heart to heart conversations Cat has with all the characters. You'll understand once you get to the end. I'll also let you know which ones were real conversations throughout the story. For instance, her conversation with Robbie on the rooftop in this chapter really happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Robbie POV**

I was working late at home one night when my phone rang. I checked the clock, 11:45 PM. Who the heck could be calling? I was going to ignore the call because I needed to make a deadline, but the caller ID read '_CAT'_ and I was happy to answer.

_"Hey Cat!"_

_"R-Robbie?"_

_"Cat? Are you crying?"_

_"N-no…."_

_"Cat…"_

_"Y-yes…." She said and bawled so I can hear her._

_"C-can I c-come over?"_

_"Yeah, Cat, of course. Hurry here."_

_*click*_

I gathered all my papers and stuffed them in the drawers and left my home office. I cleaned up a bit and 15 minutes later my bell rang. I opened the door to a still bawling Cat and opened my arms so she could fall into them. I closed the door behind me and led Cat to the couch. We sat down and I let her cry a little longer. When her weeping subsided, I thought it was the best time to finally talk about it.

"All right, Cat, can you please tell me what's wrong?"

She stayed quiet and kept her gaze at our cell phones placed on the coffee table in front of her.

"Cat, please, sweetheart. Tell me what happened."

She turned to face me and started to sob again, "Danny and I broke up."

I did not see that coming. Ok, maybe I did. A little.

* * *

_*Flashback…a few days ago*_

_"Hey Jade"_

_"What's up Rob?"_

_"What do you know about Cat's boyfriend?"_

_"Who Danny? I don't trust that guy."_

_"Yeah, Cat said you didn't like him. Why not?"_

_"He just gives a bad vibe, you know? I don't feel like he's giving as much to their relationship as Cat is. After her last boyfriend Jake dumped her like yesterday's trash, Danny was the next nice boy who came along. And since Cat starred in two of my films, seems like he only liked her for her job."_

_"Really? So why didn't he follow her to LA?"_

_"He says he wants to finish school but I don't think so. Since Cat told him she wanted to focus more on baking than acting he's being distant. So he stayed for school."_

_"Hm, weird."_

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

I waited for Cat to fully stop crying before talking to her again. If I'd have asked her right after she told me, I would have never interpreted her in-between sobs conversation. What seemed like an eternity was really a few more minutes for her to stop crying again so I finally spoke up.

"What happened?"

"I called him tonight just to see how he was doing since he hasn't called me in a few days. I should have seen the signs already but I was so caught up with everything. So when I called him another girl picked up and when I asked to talk to Danny she said 'Babe, phone for you'. I asked Danny who the girl was and he lied to my face. I told him I wasn't going to hang up until he told me the truth and he told me he's been seeing this girl even before I left. That's the real reason why he didn't follow me. He told me I was too much to handle and we should just break up. So I did. But I can't believe I was so stupid to think that our relationship would work out. It's only been a month since I've been here and my life back in New York is over."

She was about to start up again until I interjected.

"Cat, I don't know what kind of idiot would cheat on you, let alone hurt you. You're the most special person in the world. If he didn't see that, then it's his lost. Whoever he's with right now, he traded down. It's like what you said to me when you first got back, it's a new chapter in your life. So start over with love too."

She scooted closer to me and hugged me. "Thanks Robbie, I really appreciate it. Lisa is so lucky to have you as her boyfriend."

"Actually, Lisa and I broke up."

Cat was surprised, "What? When?"

"Last week, when you and I were talking at the rooftop. It was jut another reason why I had a bad day that day."

"Robbie, why didn't you tell me? There I was yapping about Danny and you and Lisa had just broken up."

"Because you needed me that night, Cat. You're more important than a relationship that wasn't meant to be."

Cat was taken aback by my comment. "Oh, Robbie. Thank you." She said and held on to me. "But what happened?"

"Like I said, she didn't like my busy schedule. But more importantly, I wasn't feeling that spark with her. We didn't really love each other like we thought we did. But then again, what is love? I may be smart, but even I still don't know the answer to that question."

Cat thought for a moment. "It's being able to be yourself around someone, that you don't have to pretend. You're a better person when they're around, you're happier like when I see cupcakes or a marshmallow moon. And you feel that no matter what, you'll be ok because you've got someone who truly loves you back."

Holy Crap. That was a good answer. I glanced at Cat and she half-smiled.

"Cat Valentine, that has got to be the most intelligent and heart felt thing I've ever heard from anyone. And you said you weren't smart. You can write a novel."

"Hehe thanks Robbie."

"So no more pouty Cat?"

"Nope" She slightly smiled.

"Good, and if I ever meet that Danny kid I'll be sure to kick his ass."

"Robbie it's fine. You've done enough."

"Ah, speaking of which, I got something for you."

I got up and went to my room, "Cat, could you come in here for a second?"

Cat came into my room and stood by my dresser. "What is it Robbie?"

I took a canvas out of my closet and presented it in front of her.

"Oh my God Robbie, is this an original August Love painting?!"

"Sure is. I ordered it just for you. Do you like it?"

Cat ran her fingers over the painting as she spoke to me, "Of course I do. This is called 'A Tearful Goodbye'. I just love how August contrasted such a beautiful sunny day to a heartbreaking moment. The colors seem to mesh well, like you wouldn't even know they would go together until you painted the right picture. I can just imagine the sunny day but I can sympathize with the situation. It just looks so real, feels so real, like anyone can relate to it. I know I have." Cat fell into a trance looking at the painting then snapped back and looked up at me shyly "Sorry I must have been rambling nonsense. It's just what I thought. Then again, I could be wrong."

I gave her an encouraging smile. "I don't know, Cat. I think you described it better than I would have described something like this. That was a really intellectual perspective to me."

"How'd you know I liked the 'For my Valentine' oil painting series?"

"Call it a lucky guess," I chuckled. "Plus you're last name's Valentine and I'd assume you'd think it was neat."

"Hehe you're so right about that Robbie. Jade said the exact same thing when I told her this was my favorite series. I mean they're so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." I said. She looked up at me and met my gaze. I put the painting to the side and she came over to give me a warm embrace. She kept her arms around my back and I kept my arms around her waist.

"Thank you so much Robbie. For everything. You've got to be the greatest guy ever. Any girl would be lucky to have you," she mumbled to my chest.

"Yeah well, I don't think I'm that lucky. The girl I really want, I lost her a long time ago. I don't know if I'll ever have a chance with her."

"Why not?"

"I never let a day go by to remind myself that I lost the chance to tell her my true feelings before she left for New York. Now, five years later she's back in my life and is right in front of me, but I still don't know."

Cat looked up at me, realized what I just said and spoke up. "I'm sure she'd want to hear it now."

I took a deep breath. I kept my eyes on her. Here goes nothing. "I've loved her since the first day we met during freshmen orientation at the lunch tables in 9th grade. And until this day, I still love that same red-headed girl."

At that moment, I did something impulsive. I leaned down and kissed her lightly. After a second she responded. She brushed her tongue on my bottom lip and we deepened the kiss. We pulled away and I stared into Cat's eyes. They were full of love and lust, just like mine.

"Robbie…"

I kissed her again and she started to pull me towards the bed. Before we knew it, clothes were shed and I was making love to Cat. Yes, making love. Because that's what it is. I love Cat Valentine.

* * *

A/N: Parts that were inspired by real conversations (I'll put the beginning of the paragraph):

"I called him tonight just to see how he was doing..."

"Cat, I don't know what kind of idiot would cheat on you..."

Cat's definition of Love.

The painting she described is my friend's painting and her own words to describe it.


	6. Chapter 6

*Ding Dong*

*Ding Dong*

"Robbie, the door…"

"Mmm…." He groaned.

*Ding Dong*

I scowled at the sound and rolled over. A ray of the morning sun was kissing Robbie's back and I simply smiled at the sleeping face lying beside me. I kissed his bare shoulder and shook him to wake up.

"Robbie, wake up. Someone's at the door."

Robbie took a minute but finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was my face.

"Now that's a pretty thing to wake up to." He smiled.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I said and gave him a peck on the lips.

"You know, someone was at the door."

"It's ok, it was probably my neighbor or something. Sounds like they left." He turned his body to face me and took me in for a warm embrace. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I smiled and kissed him again.

"So…."

"So…." We both sat there in an awkward state, not knowing what really to say or do. Then his doorbell rang again.

"Ugh" he groaned and fell back onto his pillow.

"It's ok, stay here, I'll get it." I smiled at him and put on his shirt from last night and the shorts I wore to his house.

The door rang like 2 more times before I even reached it. Man this person was impatient. I took a good look at myself in the mirror and opened the door. Both Andre and Jade were just as shocked to see me on the other side of that door. _Talk about awkward._

"Andre! Jade! What are you guys doing here?"

"I think the better question is what are _you_ doing here, Cat?" Jade smirked

"And why are you wearing Robbie's clothes?" Andre added.

I think I turned fire truck red because they both started laughing. "Uh, come in you guys."

"Don't mind if we do," Andre said.

"Hey baby, who was at the door?" Robbie asked walking out of the room, with just pajama pants on. He froze when he saw Andre and Jade.

"Oh you know, just your best friends Jade and Andre, _baby." _Jade said and grinned at Robbie.

"H-hey, guys…. What are you doing here?" Robbie didn't know what to do and neither did I.

"Well, last night Cat left me a voicemail about her breakup with Danny and I tried to call her. But no answer. I called Andre and asked if he knew where you were but he didn't know either. Then I called Robbie, but he didn't answer his phone."

"So this morning I picked up Jade and we went to the bakery. Trina said you hadn't come in yet. So we thought of going to tell Robbie we couldn't find Cat. But, I guess you found Cat before us, Rob."

"Yeah, even kept her company too," Jade teased.

Robbie and I looked at each other, our faces turning redder by the minute, not knowing what to say.

"So I take it you're over Danny now?"

"And you're over Lisa?"

I finally found my voice and said "Yeah. We are."

"So, then…. What's this?" Andre said and pointed at the two of us.

"What's what?" I honestly asked. Even _I_ wanted to know the answer.

"Can we just lay it down here that Robbie and Cat had sex last night?"

"Haha so blunt, Jade. Come on guys, we don't mean to give you a hard time but I'll take a shot in the dark. This probably happened spur of the moment huh?"

Robbie and I nodded.

"And this hasn't been going on long, has it?"

We shook our heads.

"Good. Well it's cool, take time to talk it over then."

"Yeah, Andre and I just came over to see if Cat was ok. I guess we'll talk to you guys later."

Robbie led them to the door and I made my way back to his bedroom and plopped on the bed. Robbie came back a moment later and plopped right next to me.

"Well, that was lovely" I blurted and masked my still blushing face in his chest.

"Yeah, tell me about it" he chuckled.

"Robbie?"

"Yeah Cat?"

"What is this?"

"You mean… us?"

I looked up at him and replied "yeah, what happened last night?"

He took a moment then said "I told you I love you, then we made love."

"Last night was…"

"Amazing. Godly. The best love making you've ever had?" Robbie winked.

"Hehe someone's got an ego on him."

"But seriously, it was special, Cat. I hope you know that I meant everything I said."

"I know," I said. "So where does that lead us?"

"I don't know, you didn't really answer me last night."

_Oh yeah, huh? I never told him what I thought. _

"Well of course I love you too Robbie. For some reason I thought about you all the time in New York. Many things reminded me of you. I may not have loved you in 9th grade, but I think I started in 12th grade. And I'm glad I still have those feelings." I smiled and he kissed me. He rolled over and was on top of me now.

"Ready for round two?"

* * *

**That Night…**

"So, what's the deal with you and Shapiro? You together now?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I blushed at Jade.

"How'd he ask you?"

"Officially? The Rooftop. All day someone came in and gave me a red rose. Each one had a cute poem written on it. I didn't notice the letters behind each card until the fourth rose came. It told me to look behind the cards and they spelled 'roof'. I asked Trina to close and I went upstairs to the roof. It was covered with red rose petals and at the couch, a single white rose. The note said turn around. And when I did, Robbie was there. Then he asked me out and I said yes." I smiled ear to ear as I replayed the night in my head while telling Jade. (A/N: This was how a friend got asked to prom)

"Well isn't that adorable. It's like a fairy tale, Cat!"

"Yep, and I think I found my prince charming."

"Whoa, back up sister. Prince charming?"

Jade wasn't getting worked up about anything random. I used to always tell her how I wanted my life to be like a fairy tale, like the stories written about the damsel in distress and a knight in shining armor. Or something like a princess meeting her prince. So for me to say I found my prince charming, it was a big deal.

"Yeah, Jade. I think he's the one. I've loved him since 12th grade and you know how much of a mess I was the first year we were in New York. I barely slept a wink because I left Robbie. And he told me he's loved me since we first met. It's fate, Jadey. We're meant to be."

Jade gave me a genuine smile and a great big hug. "I'm so glad for you Kitty-Cat. You're finally happy. And to think Shapiro finally got the guts to man up."

"Thanks Jadey. You're the best."

* * *

**Jade POV **(A few days later)

"Hey David, so have we chosen the final story yet?"

"Good morning Jade. Yep, we chose the novel."

"Of course, the age of novel inspired films" I sighed. Don't get me wrong, those films are great, but sometimes working with the author to create a screenplay can be a real pain. Then again, our other choice was a remake of yet another Cinderella-style story so I guess doing a film on a novel wasn't so bad of a choice.

"Yeah we're meeting the author in a few minutes. Say, do you have experience in playwriting?"

"As a matter of fact I do. Why?"

"That's perfect. I know we hired you as the director but we can save a lot of money if we also have you work with the author on the screenplay of the novel."

Great. The worst part of doing a film based on a book.

"Yeah I guess. Which book are we filming?"

"_Unforgettable_. It's about a girl who's on the search for her dad and has to leave her boyfriend behind, but once she finds her father, leaves him behind because she loves her boyfriend way more."

"The one by August Love?" Oh man, wait 'til I tell Cat! She'll be stoked.

"That's the one. Come on, he'll be here any minute."

We settled into the meeting room with the rest of my crew. David's boss Jerry, the founder of the company, walked in.

"Morning everyone, glad you could all make it. I'm so excited for today. We chose our film! Jade, would you like to announce it?"

"Sure, thanks Jerry. Well guys, David and I chose _Unforgettable_."

Everyone in the room was very pleased. One of the female crew people asked "You mean the one by August Love?"

"That's the one!" Jerry exclaimed. "He agreed to let us turn his story into a film, so long as he has creative contribution to the screen play. Jade will be working on the script as well."

They commended for me and I thanked them all.

"Ok I'm sure all of you know August Love had to hide his identity as a romance novelist so this project is going to be closed set. No visitors, and we're not having any extras for any scene. Now without further ado, may I introduce to you August Love!"

A tall guy walked in and we applauded Mr. Love. When I got a good look at him though, I was bewildered.

"ROBBIE?!"

"JADE?!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright everyone, great meeting. We'll regroup again sometime this week then do a mass release to all the agencies for future cast auditions." Jerry shook Robbie's hand and Robbie left almost instantly. I thanked my crew and darted off right behind him. I finally caught up to him in the parking lot near my car. For a nerd, he runs fast. Probably because he knows I'm gonna kill him.

"Not so fast Shapiro!"

Robbie froze. He slowly turned around. "Hey Jade."

"Don't 'Hey Jade' me, buddy. Get in the car."

Robbie reluctantly obeyed and hopped in. We drove for a good 15 minutes, somewhere out of the city, and ended up at the shores near our old high school. We needed to be far from any place Cat or even Andre would find us. I parked then turned to Robbie.

"Now spill."

"Jade, I swear, I didn't know it was you're project I was on board with. My manager booked this gig."

"That I kind of figured out on my own, Shapiro. What with the look of terror on your face when you saw me. But what I want to know is who the hell is this August Love?"

"Jade…"

"We're not leaving until you tell me. If we're going to be working together, I need to know who I'm working with."

"Ok, ok. If you really want to know… Are you sure you don't want to get some coffee? You know, get comfortable?"

"ROBBIE SHAPIRO, JUST GET ON WITH YOUR DAMN STORY!"

"Fine. I'm August Love."

"No shit."

"_If you let me FINISH_… Remember when I took art just to be closer to Cat when she took one to improve her costume designs? It started there. Then in college I took a creative writing class and wrote stories about Cat. My professor loved it so much she offered to get one of them published from her daughter's publishing company. But she told me there would be consequences. She said that I should have a pen name, to be a girl so my books can sell. I honestly couldn't care less about how much money I made. Please believe me when I say that. But that was my cover up to the public if anyone asked. My real reason for wanting a pen name was that I wanted to save my identity from the public for my privacy and for Cat. I didn't want to risk Cat reading a novel and realizing it was about her before I ever got a chance to tell her my feelings myself."

Damn, Robbie's more complex than he really is. And to think all this time I thought he was a spineless jellyfish, too nervous to talk to pretty girls; let alone the girl he loves.

"So the novels, they're all about Cat?"

"Yup."

"And the paintings? 'For My Valentine'?"

"Cat Valentine."

"I knew it!" I smirked.

"I know, Cat told me that you thought she only liked that series for her name. Now you know why I couldn't publish my real name, Jade."

My minded shifted to a conversation Cat and I had the other night.

"Oh my God, she's right."

"Huh?"

"It's fate, Robbie. That's what she told me. She really loved you in high school. When we left she cried for months. It was really annoying. Then she discovered your paintings and novels. I didn't understand the weird connection she had but now it all makes sense."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. She'd bring me to art shows and make me read your books the day they came out. She acted so love-struck, the same way she was in high school with you. I can't believe I didn't put two and two together… Wait, then what's the deal with DreamWorks? Is that real?"

"Of course that's real. But it's a cover up. I need a regular job or people would speculate what I do all day and how I make my earnings. I'm not as busy as you guys would think at DreamWorks. I am the IT Manager but we've already finished the movies for the summer. It's post-production so they only need me for final approvals. The rest of the 'work' I've been doing is writing my next novel. My manager is chewin' my ass to get it finished soon. Especially since I'll be doing a film with your company now. She's afraid I won't have time to finish."

"I see… Ok, so how are you going to tell Cat?"

"Jade, I don't ask for much but I need to ask you to not tell anyone, _especially_ Cat."

"Robbie, I can't just lie to my best friend."

"I know, but I'm not asking you to lie. Just don't tell her."

"Robbie…"

"Jade, please. No one but my manager knows about this. I haven't even told Andre."

"Fine, but she needs to know sooner or later."

"I know, I know. I'll tell her."

* * *

**Cat POV**

"So Jade, how's the film coming along?"

"It's going well. I mean we only confirmed the project two weeks ago. We're still in the script writing and budgeting so nothing fun yet."

"You think I should audition?"

"Wouldn't hurt right? Plus, I know the director, she might pull a few strings for you," Jade winked.

"Hehe thanks Jadey. This is nice, we haven't had lunch just you and me since we got here."

"Yeah, how long has it been? 6 weeks. Beck gets back in 6 weeks!"

"Aw yay! But that means I gotta find a place in 6 weeks. Phooey."

"Cat please, you and Robbie are moving rather fast in your relationship. By the looks of things, I'm sure Robbie will ask you to move in with him way before Beck gets back."

"Jadey come on, I don't want to assume things with Robbie. As great as that sounds I still respect his privacy. Don't worry, we'll fret about that when the time comes. In the meantime, let's enjoy our time together. Just us gals."

"I'll drink to that, Ms. Valentine!"

We touched glasses and sipped our teas at the tea garden.

"So how is it going with Shapiro anyways? He's being respectful right? Because if he isn't his face will meet my fist."

"Hehe of course he's respectful. He's a sincere gentleman."

"What's the deal with the ex? Lisa, right? Never really heard that story."

"They didn't really love each other I guess. Robbie says the biggest thing was his busy schedule. She couldn't handle it. She was too needy and always wanted him to wait on her hand and foot. Robbie's just a dedicated guy. She didn't see him that way."

I smiled to myself and glanced over at Jade with a brooding expression on her face. It's like she wanted to tell me something, but decided not to say anything.

"Jade, are you ok?"

I snapped her back to reality.

"Yeah, of course, Kitty-Cat. Just… take it from my experience, Beck is busy too and that just comes with the territory of being with an actor, so I've learned to accept it and not have him explain to me about everything he's doing when we're not together. I know you aren't Lisa and you're the most understanding person I know, so just don't let Robbie's 'work' get in the way of your relationship, k?"

I absorbed Jade's solicitous remark. Aw she's just being a sister and looking out for me. That's my Jadey. I smiled at her. "Of course not."

Our girl time was interrupted when a reporter who recognized Jade spotted us and came right over to talk business.

"Jade West?! Is that you?"

"Crap" she mumbled to me then turned to the reporter, "Hey Becky, how are things?"

"They're going well, thanks. So I guess the speculations are true then huh? You're in town to direct a movie?"

"Yes I am, an indie film, but still a good company."

"That's awesome. Say, is it true that you're film is based by an August Love novel?"

Wait, did that reporter just say August Love? _THE_ August Love? How come Jade never told me?

I kept my gaze on Jade and she hesitated before replying to Becky.

"How about we talk some time later this week with my producer? I'm sure you'll get a great story from us if we sat down at your office."

"That sounds great, Jade! See you then!"

When the reporter left, Jade tried to avoid the conversation that just happened.

"Ahem?"

"Yes?"

"Uh hello? Remember me? Cat Valentine. You're best friend who happens to be obsessed with August Love. How come you never told me you were doing a film on his book?"

Jade sighed, "Cat you know I have a nondisclosure policy at work. Especially with this client. I mean you said it yourself, he had to keep his identity secret. They promised us we couldn't tell anyone."

"But I'm your best friend Jadey."

"I know you are. That's why I'm telling you that much. And hey, if you audition for a part then maybe you'll eventually meet August."

She was right. Now I really want to audition!

"How is it like hanging out with August? Is he dreamy?"

Jade seemed to laugh at my remark but I brushed it off because she always laughs at my cheesy statements. "I rarely see him for more than a day because he's in the middle of writing a new novel. Oh don't tell anyone that, oops! And he's just a regular old guy to me, Cat. But everyone's entitled to their own opinion, right?"

"Right. And I won't tell. Can I ask you one more thing?" She nodded. "Which novel are you filming?"

"If I tell you then no more questions ok? Case closed. Comprende?"

I nodded.

"It's _Unforgettable_."

"Yay! I loved that one."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get some ice cream now."

"Kk!"

* * *

A/N: The part of Cat and Jade's conversation about their guys' jobs taking up a lot of time is the only nonfiction in this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Before I forget, the conversation at the bakery with Andre/Trina/Cat was a real conversation with me and 2 friends. ( I was Trina :] ).

* * *

"Want more coffee, Jadey?"

"No thanks. Actually I have to go now anyways, got a lot of scriptwriting to do. Thanks for the cupcakes, Kitty-Cat."

"Any time."

Robbie walked into the bakery as Jade was leaving and they both smiled at each other. I'm so glad that things between the four of us (Me, Jade, Robbie and Andre) aren't weird now that Robbie and I are dating. Though Jade and Andre claimed that they knew something would have happened between us in high school anyways. Usually Jade would hate on my boyfriends, but I guess Robbie's the exception since she knows him already. I'm just so happy they're getting along.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hi Robbie. Coffee?" I smiled and kissed my boyfriend.

"Yeah but can I get it to go? I've got another meeting today and I can't be late. They need to meet a deadline."

"Again?" I frowned, "You had to stay late last night too. And since Andre was in Santa Barbara and Jade was at work, I had no one to talk to last night. I was going to take the day off to hangout with you."

Robbie lifted my chin and kissed my nose, "Hey cheer up buttercup. I've got several meetings today but tonight I promise it'll be you and me."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"No," I smiled, "Okay, have a great meeting then. See you later."

Robbie promptly kissed me goodbye and was out the door before I could even blink. I slumped onto a barstool. Trina walked over to me and leaned on the other side of the counter. Andre walked in a moment later and sat next to us.

"Sup Lil' Red. Robbie here?"

"No, he had to go."

"Another meeting?" He asked.

"Yeah" I sighed, "Unfortunately."

"I guess that's what you get for dating a workaholic." Trina commented as she poured Andre a cup of coffee.

"Robbie's not a workaholic, he's just dedicated to what he does." I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Mhm. Well I hope you remember that then. Lisa never tolerated it." Trina said matter-of-factly.

"No?"

"Hell no. She would always come in here and complain about Robbie never having time for her." Andre said.

"She even suspected him of cheating but I don't think so. He may be a busy guy, but he's a loyal boyfriend." Trina added.

"I would hope so." I said, interested in what Trina and Andre said about Lisa. "How was Lisa and Robbie's relationship? I know she didn't like his schedule, but how did they treat each other?"

"Oh he was the best boyfriend ever, never fought with her, took in her nasty bickering, especially when she'd degrade him for ending up in a corporate job instead of being a famous because he went to an arts school. It didn't matter though, he would just buy her stuff to shut her up- er, I mean make up for it…. No, I'm right the first time, to shut her up." Trina said and we both laughed.

"Aw poor Robbie."

"Yeah, didn't you three go to the same arts school? Now that I think about it. He's talked about you before. When I first met him, he was crying over a girl from high school that he never got to tell her he loved her."

"Yeah, that was Cat," Andre answered Trina.

"It was cute, he was such a hopeless romantic. Which was why I was so confused when one day he came here and introduced me and Miss Georgia to Lisa."

"Believe me, I was shocked too. But hey, she found him when he was vulnerable." Andre said.

"Between you and me, Lisa was only with him for his money. Robbie may not be a superstar, but he's a wealthy man."

I smiled at Trina's statement about Robbie's sensitive side. But then frowned at the way Lisa had treated him. My Robbie was hurt long enough and now I'm here to mend his broken heart.

"Thanks for telling me, guys. I may only be dating him for 3 weeks but I've known him for 9 years. And Andre knows I've loved him since high school. Hopefully I can fix him."

Andre smiled and gave me a hug. Trina touched my shoulder.

"Oh trust me girl you're nothing like Lisa. I think you of all people would understand time and commitment since you've acted and all. Plus baking takes patience. And I've never seen him happier. He adores you, sweetie. "

I smiled and thanked Andre and Trina for cheering me up then got back to work.

* * *

I was doing a load of Robbie's laundry before he got back from his meetings after a long day. We haven't officially moved in together- he hasn't asked me… yet- but I'm always here. The least I could do was some little chore; I wanted to be a thoughtful girlfriend. I gathered his clothes from his hamper and the jackets hung in his bathroom and started sorting colors. I reached into pockets to make sure they were empty before tossing garments in the wash and came across a peculiar item. In one of his jacket pockets were crumpled up pieces of papers and, call it curiosity, I unraveled them and took a peep.

It was all confusing. There were scribbled lines of almost the same things. It seemed like he was writing a love letter of some sort. Some blocks of paragraphs that almost all started with _"Hello my love…"_ Then drabbles of some sort about love. Aw was Robbie trying to write me a love letter? He must be frustrated with finding the right words and he's scratching lines off. That's so sweet. _Or so I thought_. In the last paper I unfolded there were still scribbles, but then I recognized that it wasn't his handwriting. Robbie's was like any guy's, a little messy. These scribbles, though along the same line of words and meanings, were more like a woman's. I noticed the way this person crossed their T's and F's, in such a script way, just like…. Jade's. _What? No. This can't be Jade's handwriting_. Maybe Robbie was just practicing his penmanship for when he wrote the final version. He's a perfectionist like that. I finished his laundry when he finally came home and we had a long awaited night alone together.

"Well that was amazing."

"Yeah, you're getting better," I playfully said. Robbie and I cuddled under the sheets after making love tonight. I still had those notes in the back of my mind. But if they were supposed for me, then I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, even if I thought his handwriting looked like Jade's.

"So Cat, are we still on for lunch on Friday?"

"We sure are, Robbie. I'm glad they gave you Friday off. I miss you."

"I'm just a phone call away. You can always call me when you're lonely."

"Do you miss me during the day?"

"Of course I do, you're the only girl I think about. I don't want to be with anyone else but you. Sucks that I have to work all the time though."

For some reason I wanted to know the deal with the letters.

"Robbie?"

"Yes my love?"

_My love. _Now I know those letters were for me. Goodness, Cat. you had nothing to worry about. I looked up at him and smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby." He said and kissed my forehead before we fell asleep.

* * *

"Hey Cat, sorry I have to cancel lunch today. It's really busy in the office and we have that project deadline to meet before the weekend."

"It's ok Robbie, I'm just going to meet with some suppliers for the bakery. See you at dinner, k?"

"Sure thing sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too, Hun. Bye."

*click*

I spent a few hours downtown buying new machines for the bakery. Until now we've only been using one of everything in the kitchen, but not even two months in, my bakery has been a huge hit. Now I've gotta double up on machinery. Trina gave me a list of places for suppliers and so far I've gotten great deals. I didn't realize I'd finish early so I figured I'd stop by Jade's building. She told me she didn't want me coming when August Love was there, claiming I'd only come for him, but she told me he wasn't going to be there today. And to prove I want to see her and not my favorite author/artist, I'm going to surprise her today.

I went over to the gate and the guard at first didn't let me in, he claimed it was a closed set. Luckily the production company allowed Jade to bring in her New York crew and Jade's assistant was coming back from her lunch when she saw me at the gate.

"Hey Cat! Here to see Jade?"

"Hi Stephanie. Yeah but apparently it's closed set."

"Nonsense, I'm sure Jade would be happy to see you. Frank (the security guard), I've got her don't worry. Just put her on the VIP visitor's list."

"Sure thing Miss Stephanie. You ladies have a nice day."

The guard let us in and Stephanie led me to the cafeteria where Jade takes her breaks. I thanked her and opened her door.

What I saw when I opened was my best friend and my boyfriend having lunch together. Talking. Laughing. Having a good time. **Without me**- aside from the fact that they said they had other things to do today. I stood there, frozen. When my thoughts snapped me back to reality, I was all sorts of angry. They lied to me. Was Robbie cheating on me? No wait, was Jade having an _affair_?

"Hey Rob, so how about we go back to my place and just finish where we left off there?"

"Sounds good, Jade. Cat isn't home and she won't be until later so I think we're good."

Robbie and Jade didn't know I was there but after hearing that I was **_FURIOUS_**.

"You're right, Cat isn't home at the moment." I said coldly. Robbie and Jade whipped their heads towards the door, shocked at seeing a very upset look on my face.

"C-cat! What are you doing here?!"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Robbie. What happened to 'busy at the office' today?" I said sternly.

"Cat, let me explain…"

"And you, Jade. I thought you were my best friend." I tried to say calmly, though my rage was building.

"I am. What are you getting at, Cat?"

"More importantly, I _thought_ you loved Beck." I pointed out.

Jade was downright puzzled, then realized what I had assumed and tried to speak up, "Wait, are you implying that I'm cheating on Beck with Robbie?"

"Cat, it's not what you think…"

"I'm not an idiot, I heard what you said. I'm standing right here. And what I see is my best friend with my boyfriend who claims to be 'busy' at work." I was ready to storm off when Robbie grabbed my arm gently.

"Cat, will you just let me explain?"

I turned around and slapped Robbie. I couldn't keep it in any more. I finally snapped. "How could you do this to me Robbie?! You said you'd never lie to me!" I yelled and ran away crying. I couldn't focus on Jade and Robbie's faint screams and footsteps trying to catch up to me because all I could hear was my heart slowly breaking, and my life quickly crumbling down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Andre POV**

I was sitting at the Bakery talking to Trina and the new hostess Stella when all of a sudden Cat stormed in making a beeline to the rooftop. Was she crying? Trina and I looked at each other in total confusion.

"Uh, was that Cat?"

"Yeah… Hey Stella, can you watch the bakery for a minute? Andre and I are going to see what's up with Cat."

"Sure thing, Trina. Hope she's ok."

Trina and I sprinted to the rooftop and when we got there, we found Cat curled up in a ball on the couch. She had tears, but wasn't sobbing... Well, yet. Trina sat beside Cat and I knelt down in front of her.

"Hey Cat."

"What's the matter lil' Red?"

Cat looked up at us and then crawled into Trina's lap and continued to weep. I've seen Cat cry before, but I've never seen her so… _broken_. Cat took a minute and then looked up at us with weak eyes.

"R-robbie is cheating on m-me."

"Robbie? Robbie Shapiro?" Trina asked. We were both surprised.

"Y-yeah. With Jade."

"No way." I couldn't believe it. Is she playing with me?

"Wait, isn't Jade your best friend?" Trina asked.

Cat nodded.

"Are you sure he's cheating?"

"Yeah, they both told me they were busy today but I wanted to visit Jade for lunch and when I did I saw him with her acting friendly, and I overheard them wanting to sneak off to Robbie's because he knew I'd be here or something."

Oh my Chizz. Never in a million years would I peg Robbie as the cheating type. And with Jade? I just can't believe it. There's gotta me more to this story.

"Cat, I believe you, but it's hard to believe that Robbie or Jade would do something like that."

"Andre, I was there!" she snapped at me. "I saw them, I heard them!"

Cat went back to sobbing, this time hysterically in Trina's arms.

"Cat, I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I know you're just trying to help." She sniffed.

"What are you going to do now?" Trina asked.

"I really don't know. But I'm not going home tonight. Andre, would it be a bother if-"

"Say no more, of course you can."

"And don't worry about the bakery. I'll close tonight. Stella's not busy either so I'll ask her to work a few extra hours, Cat. Just get some rest ok?"

"Thanks Trina." Cat said and gave her a hug.

Cat and I were about to leave when Trina's phone rang.

"Guys wait! That was Stella. Robbie's downstairs. He doesn't know Stella that much so he didn't ask her to go through the back door to the rooftop. What do we do now?"

"Uh, ok I got it! Stay here ladies, I'll be back." I jetted downstairs but snaked through the door and walked towards Robbie like I came from the restroom.

"Hey Rob, what goes on?" Robbie was slumped against the counter with his face buried in his hands. He looked so guilty and I wanted to know why.

"Andre! Where'd you come from? Do you know if Cat's here?"

"I just came from the bathroom. I saw Cat earlier. She was upset so Trina and her left. What happened, man?"

"I think I just dug myself into a deep hole and now I can't get out."

"What does that have to do with Cat?"

"She fell in my hole." Damn this smart ass and his metaphors. I swear he should just be a writer. Ok focus Andre. The plan- get Robbie outta here.

"I'm sorry, man. Anything I can do?"

"I don't think so. I'm going to find Cat. I'll call you, bro."

"All right cool, I'll talk to you later."

That was easy. I made sure Robbie was completely gone then called Trina to bring Cat down. When I saw them I immediately escorted Cat from the bakery and we booked it to my apartment in case Robbie saw us on the road or anything. Whatever it was that's happening between my friends, I've got to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

"Welcome to mi casa, lil' Red!"

"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight. I promise I won't be a bother."

"You're not a bother, Cat" I chuckled. Even when she's at a fragile state she still thinks of others. Such a sweetheart.

"Do you think I can wash up? My makeup's running and I'm just exhausted."

"Sure thing. The guest bath is next to the kitchen. There are clean towels in the cupboard over the sink. Do your thing Cat, I'll go make us some coffee."

"Thanks Andre." Cat said and gave me a hug. As soon as I heard Cat step into the shower I dialed Jade's number.

_"Hey Andre, what's up?"_

_"Jade, what happened today?"_

_"What are y- wait, are you with Cat? Andre please can I talk to her?"_

_"Look I'm not telling you where we are until you tell me what you know. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, West. Take it or leave it."_

_"Fair enough. But I'm only going to tell you my part. It's not my place to say anything else. Deal?"_

_"Ok. I'm listening."_

_"You know how I'm working on a new film? Well, Robbie's a screenwriter for it and so am I so we've been working together for a few weeks. But the thing is it's a secret."_

_"Why is it a secret, ain't nothing wrong with that. Man, I didn't even know Robbie could write."_

_"Yeah well me neither, but it's his secret and he asked me not to tell anyone, even Cat. I can't tell you that part. If he wants to tell you then he will."_

_"I understand. But please relieve me of this quandary. Cat said Robbie's cheating on her with you. What's that about? Are you?"_

_"Andre, I'm a married woman."_

_"That doesn't answer my question."_

_"Of course I'm not cheating with Robbie! It's his stupid secret that's making everything look shady. He had to lie to Cat of his whereabouts and I had to keep her from visiting me on set. But she did anyways and when she came today we were working on the script. I suggested we go to his place because I didn't want to stay at the studio all night and she interpreted it wrong."_

_"Like y'all were hookin' up, huh?"_

_"Ew. Exactly."_

_"Haha. Nah I believe you, Jade. I believe both of you. But I think I need to know Robbie's side as well as Cat's."_

_"And you will. Robbie needs to just come out with it. But it's none of our places to meddle with him and Cat."_

_"I agree. Oh chizz. Well it sounds like Cat's out of the shower. She might come out any minute. She's staying at my place tonight. Don't tell Rob."_

_"Ok, at least I know she's fine. Can I drop by in the morning?"_

_"As much as Cat might kill me for it, I think you should. See you tomorrow."_

_*click*_

I made some coffee for Cat and me just in time for her to come out of the shower looking refreshed. I handed her the mug and we sat at the couch.

"So how are you holding up, lil' Red?" I took a sip of my coffee. Mmm Italian roast. So good.

"I don't know. I'm still upset about everything." She said as she took a sip of her coffee then placed her mug on the table.

"Jade and I were on the phone while you were in the shower."

"Andre, I don't want to hear it."

"Ok, but you should talk to her. At least get someone's side of the situation."

"I know but I don't want to talk or see any of them right now."

I sighed. If only she knew Jade's side. "Ok. But just-"

*Ding Dong*

(From outside) "Andre! It's Robbie, I need to talk to you."

"Oh crap, it's Robbie. Andre, please. I don't want to see him."

"Uh… ok I got it, hide in my room and lock the door. I promise he won't get to you."

"Thanks, Andre." Cat said ant darted to the room. When I heard my lock click I walked over and let Robbie in. Oh boy…


	10. Chapter 10

**Cat POV**

Why can't Robbie just leave me alone? He's hurt me enough to scar me for life. I hope Andre gets him out of here quick. I just want to sleep and forget this day ever happened. Well, I have nothing better to do but to listen in on their conversation…

**No POV**

"Hey, 'Fro boy, what's up?"

"Andre, I can't find Cat. I'm really worried something happened to her."

"Whoa chill, sit down. What happened?"

"I'll only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone, all right?"

"No chizz. Ok, on with your story already."

"I'm working with Jade on a project but I'm keeping it a secret from you, Cat and pretty much everyone."

"Why would you do that?"

"Andre, please let me finish my story. I've been interrupted too many times today and it resulted to me looking like the bad guy."

"Dang, bro. It must me that bad, huh? Sorry, Robbie. Go ahead."

"Thanks. So Jade's the only one that knows and I intended to keep it that way. I was working with her at the studio today and Cat dropped by unnoticed and she probably heard and misinterpreted our conversation. Resulting in her thinking I'm cheating with Jade. And we're not, I swear!"

"I believe you, go on."

"I was trying to explain that to Cat but she didn't give me a chance to. I looked for her at the bakery, when I ran into you, and since then scoured the city to try and find any possible place she'd be. I'm out of options man and it's killing me that she's hurt."

"Well, whatever your secret is, you should just come out with it."

"Andre, it's really complicated. I'm not ready to come out with it."

"Then I don't know how I can help you bro."

"If only you knew where Cat was…"

Robbie closed his eyes in frustration and tried to focus. He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the coffee table in front of him. He noticed there were two mugs on the coffee table. But he doesn't remember Andre offering him a drink.

"Hey, 'Dre. Did someone drop by earlier?"

"Uh…. Nah, why?"  
"Why is there two mugs on the table then?"

**Cat POV**

Crap. I forgot to put my mug away!

**No POV**

Robbie glanced over at Andre's closed bedroom door, then back at the mug, then at Andre

"Is Cat here?"

"Robbie…"

Robbie jumped from the couch and ran to the door. He started wiggling the doorknob then banged on the door several times.

"Cat! I know you're in there! Cat, please. We have to talk."

Andre walked over to Robbie and tried to stop him from breaking his door down.

"Robbie she doesn't want to see you right now."

"Andre, you stay out of this!" Robbie snapped at his best friend.

"No I can't man. When it's got something to do with all of my best friends, I'm not just going to sit here and watch."

"Wait, so you talked to Jade and Cat about this already?"

"Just Jade, but I'm not going to force it out of Cat, just like how you shouldn't force her to talk to you."

Robbie was furious now. "So you mean to say that just 10 seconds ago when we were talking, you already knew I had a dilemma and you went and let me pity in my sorrow?"

"What the chizz? I didn't say that."

"No, you didn't but if you already knew that I was having a problem with Cat then why didn't you talk to me? Why didn't you tell me she was here? I thought you were my friend."

"Dude, are you freaking kidding me right now? I _am_ your friend. I'm all of your friends."

"No, a real friend wouldn't let me wander around like an idiot trying to find my girlfriend!"

**Cat POV**

Am I seriously hearing what I think I'm hearing? Robbie's trying to blame Andre for this? Oh. Hell. No.

I flung the door open and both Robbie and Andre had shock written all over their faces.

"Cat! Thank goodness you opened the door!"

"Shut up, Robbie! You have no right to talk to Andre like that. He was being a good friend and respecting my emotional state. If you think he's a terrible friend then you obviously have a bad judgment in character."

"Cat, you know I didn't mean that. I'm just really upset that you won't let me talk to you."

"Don't let your frustrations out on innocent bystanders then. Fine. Tell me now." I said and crossed my arms.

Robbie looked at Andre, then at me. "Cat, can we talk in private please?"

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Andre. He's your best friend, Robbie. He deserves to know whatever it is you're hiding."

Robbie knew he wouldn't win with me. He sighed heavily and started to talk.

"For a while now I've been keeping a huge secret from everyone. My family doesn't even know. The only person who knows is my manager, and two weeks ago Jade found out. I told her everything and made her promise not to tell anyone. Not even you two." Robbie took a deep breath. "I'm not who you think I am. I'm more than just Robbie Shapiro. I'm… August Love."

Robbie's August Love? Is he for real? I don't know if I should be excited or furious.

"Wait, you mean _THE_ August Love? Author and artist?" Andre asked.

"Yeah, 'Dre. I am. And since Jade's directing my novel, we've been working on the script together." Robbie looked at me, hoping to find any emotion on my face. "Cat, please say something."

"Why did you have to hide your identity to us? I mean don't you trust us? Don't you trust _me_?"

"Of course I do. Didn't you realize that every book, every painting was all about you? You're the reason for the work I have. If not for any of our interactions, talking and past, then I wouldn't be August Love."

Whoa. Back up. They were about me?!

"What makes you think you can use my life's story as your ticket to fame and fortune?"

"Cat, I thought you'd be happy that those things were about you?"

"Happy? Robbie, I'm a moment away from breaking your neck right now. How dare you use my life to get ahead in your career! You played me Robbie! Everything I said to you, every moment we shared, I knew it was too good to be true. I'm finally happy, which isn't normal for me. It all makes perfect sense now. You used me for your stupid job!"

"Cat, I'm not with you because of my job. How can you say that?"

"Tell me to my face that you aren't writing a new story and basing it about all the events that's happened since I got here." I got up in his face, stabbing his chest with my finger, "Tell me right now, Robbie Shapiro, that I am wrong."

The silence told me everything. Funny how you don't have to say anything to know exactly what everything means. I turned around and walked back inside Andre's bedroom and before I shut the door Robbie stopped it.

"Cat…"

"Robbie, please just leave me alone."

I cried myself to barely a wink of sleep that night. I can't believe he would think it was ok to tell my personal life to the world. Did he even love me? I know I did. But tonight, I hate him.

**Andre POV**

Cat closed the door like 10 minutes ago and Robbie hasn't left the space in front of my bedroom door. We both could hear the faint sobs behind it, but even I knew we couldn't do anything about it at this point.

"Robbie, I think it's best that you should go home now."

Robbie finally made some sign of movement and walked towards me. Oh hell if he was gonna try to pick a fight at me, I'm just too exhausted.

"Andre, I'm really sorry about earlier. I let my emotions get to me and started blaming you because I didn't want to blame myself." He offered his hand for peace. I shook it.

"We're cool man."

"Thanks. Are you mad at me too for not telling you about my pen name?"

For a moment I almost forgot that Robbie just told us his secret. Come to think of it, I suppose it makes sense.

"Nah man. I mean that was a shocker but I see where you coming from. Except the thing about Cat-"

"It's not what you think. I promise."

"Look, Robbie. I'm not accusing you. I'm just saying that whatever it is you're doing, I'm sure you have a good reason. And I'm not the one you should be explaining it to."

"Thanks, bro. I guess I'll be on my way then."

I walked Robbie to my door and as we reached it, he turned around and man-hugged me. Say all you want, he's a brother and if he needs me I'll hug a brother too. "Andre, take care of Cat for me please."

"Easy, Robbie," I said and tried to pry him off my shoulder. "I will man. Just give her some time to cool off. Later, bro." I said and shut the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I was only planning on publishing 2 chapters a day but I've had such a productive day! I rarely do shoutouts but you know what, I'm on a confidence high right now and I want to spread that positive energy to Binnie-Bunny, CabbieLoverSAC22 and sshaw101. Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot and that's why I'm updating again :) And if yall haven't read their stories, what the heck are you doing readinng mine?! If it weren't for them and some other people here, you wouldn't be reading my stuff. They've encouraged me to share my work- Even those humorous one-shots I did. (Thanks sshaw101 for the hilarious reviews on them!)**

**Have a fantastic weekend everyone. Be kind to someone... just because :)**

* * *

**Andre POV**

Bzzzt.

_(7:05AM) Andre, I'm outside your door. –Jade_

I moseyed on over to my door and quietly let Jade in.

"Morning, 'Dre. You look horrible."

"Yeah, well you would look this way too if you got locked out of your room, got accused of something, had to listen to Cat, and tried to console an afro-haired dude all before 2am. Why are you here so early?"

"Cat doesn't like to mope in bed after a fight or a breakup. She'd rather take in the morning air and try to contemplate her thoughts. If I'm correct she'll be up in like 10 minutes."

"Nah, I believe you. Coffee?" I said and started the coffeemaker.

"Sure. So wait, what happened last night?"

"After you and I talked, Cat and I barely had 5 minutes to talk before we heard Robbie at the door. She hid in my room while Robbie and I talked. When he figured out Cat was here he went crazy and decided to blame me for the situation. Then Cat stormed out and defended me. I really wasn't offended; I knew Robbie was just caught up in the moment. Anyways, it went down to Robbie confessing his secret and Cat taking it one way and slamming the door in his face."

"So he told her he's August and she wasn't happy? I thought she would be."

"Basically Robbie said that he uses her life and his feelings for her as his momentum to write and paint and Cat took it as an invasion of privacy and that he's using her to write his next novel. I don't know who's right or wrong. But it went ugly."  
"Poor Cat."

"Yeah, but she does know now that you and Robbie aren't cheating together. So maybe you have a chance."

"Really? How do you know?"

"We cleared your name last night after Robbie left."

_*Flashback… A couple hours later*_

_Cat came out of the room while Andre was watching TV. It was around 1am._

_"Andre?"_

_"Hey lil' Red. You ok?"  
"I guess." Cat said and slunk to the chair beside her._

_"I wouldn't expect you to have everything sorted out. It's a lot to take in."_

_"I know."_

_"So, look. I'm not going to touch on the Robbie subject, but we did clear a name for someone else."_

_"You mean Jade?"_

_"She's your best friend, Cat. I'm not going to argue with you right now, you deserve a break. But Robbie apologized to me before he left about his temper and for keeping that secret to me and I was cool with it."_

_"How can you be fine with something like that?"_

_"Look, he has his reasons, but I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about you and Jade. You two have known each other longer than the two of us. Robbie's my best friend, that's why I forgave him. Is Jade still yours?"_

_"Of course she is."_

_"All right then, remember that next time you talk to her."_

_"You're a good friend Andre. Even until now, with Jade."_

_"Oh come on, Cat. Didn't we promise not to talk about that ever?"_

_"I know, but it's still sweet." Cat smiled. Andre didn't have a heart to put this conversation to rest just yet if it meant making her smile._

_"Look, I had my "I'm in love with Jade" phase in high school, but believe me when I say that I'm so happy with Tori right now. She's the love of my life. And I'm glad that Jade found a guy like Beck. So regarding this situation, I'm not choosing sides with you, Jade, or Robbie. I'm all of your friends."_

_"I believe you Andre. That's why you're the most understanding person I know. Thanks." Cat said and gave him a hug._

_*End Flashback*_

**Cat POV**

I couldn't sleep at all last night. After talking to Andre, I need my Jadey. I could have sworn I heard her voice. It was probably in my head. But now that I think about it, Andre sounds like he's awake. And he's not alone. Oh God. I hope it's not Robbie…

I opened the door and I saw Jade and Andre talking. They noticed I came out and turned their attention to me.

"Morning, Cat. Uh, did you sleep well?"

"Hi Andre. I guess."

"Hey, Cat." Jade said. I don't know why I didn't respond to Jade. I'm just staring at her, not knowing what to do. I know I'm not mad though.

"Cat, about yesterday. Robbie and I are not cheating together. Please believe me. And about not running after you when you left the studio, I figured Robbie would have tired you out and followed you everywhere so I didn't. But I do care, Kitty-Cat. I'm sor-"

I didn't give Jade a chance to even finish. I ran into the arms of my best friend and let out a small whimper.

"Jadey, I'm sorry."

"Cat, why would you be sorry? I should be the one saying that."

"I didn't give you a chance to explain. And I made a stupid assumption. As always."

"Cat, you're not dumb. Robbie is just putting himself in a tangled web. But at least now you know."

"Yeah… I respect that you didn't tell me. It was obviously important to him. But why did he have to wait so long to tell me?"

"Believe me he didn't want to tell me either but he showed up at one of my meetings and he was horrified to see me." Andre, Jade and I laughed.

"So are you ladies best friends again?" Andre asked.

"Duh, Andre." I smiled and hugged Jade again.

"What are you gonna do about Robbie?" Jade questioned.

"I'm not talking to him if he's going to just tell the world what we do together. I feel so violated."

"Cat, did you give him a chance to explain?" Jade asked me.

"Look, Jade. I know he wants to tell me more, but right now I don't want to hear it. I may be wrong with his original intentions, but if you look at it in retrospect, I can also be right."

"Well, dang lil' Red. You really thought this through, huh?"

"Yeah I did. And I'm only asking that you both not meddle with this. I don't care that you are on good terms with Robbie. He's your friend too. The only thing I ask is that you help me keep my distance from him. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, if that's what you want, Kitty-Cat" Jade said and Andre nodded.

"Thanks you guys."

* * *

A week has passed since the confrontation at Andre's house. I've slowly been recuperating and Andre, Jade and Trina are doing a good job keeping Robbie away from me. He did lay low for the first day but after that he tried visiting me at the bakery, going to Jade's and bothering us at the door. Andre and Jade aren't on any side. Jade is still working with Robbie and she tells me that he wants to talk and won't stop moping around. Andre and Robbie still hangout and he reports back to me the same stuff Jade says. It's getting ridiculous, but I can't talk to Robbie.

Beck finished his movie a few weeks early and flew to LA. He and Andre met and became fast friends. Jade and I got him up to speed with the whole Robbie situation. Even Beck tried to reason with me.

"It seems like this guy had his own intentions for starting this. I'm sure he wasn't in it for the money."

"Then why did he write and paint so much about me? He obviously knew my life was interesting to everyone because he had a part in my life."

"Had? That's past tense."

"Yes it is, Beck. I'm never going to talk to him again."

"I don't know, Cat. I mean sometimes we have to make those sacrifices because of our jobs. I mean I can't let a day go by without someone recognizing me on the street. Jade has to put up with that because she's my wife, and sometimes I put her in ridiculous situations where we have to disguise ourselves just to hopefully go unnoticed. It's why I love her so much. She's understanding."

"I'm not ready for all that Beck. And I don't want that."

"Maybe that's why he didn't reveal his name then."

"I don't know…"

"It all comes down to how you truly feel about Robbie. Forget about what happened this week, how do you feel about him?"

I wanted to answer Beck, I really did. But I honestly didn't know my true feelings. I don't hate Robbie completely, but I'm not in love with him like I was before. And not doing anything about it makes it comfortable for me.

* * *

A/N: I didn't use verbatim dialogue in these past few chapters based on my real life situations, but I was 'Andre' in arguments between friends. Like when Andre let Cat stay over, I let a friend stay over and when her boyfriend came over to talk, he blamed me for keeping him from talking to her. Blah blah blah, he said sorry to me but whatever, all that matters is I got them back together :)


	12. Chapter 12

Despite my love life, things were going pretty well with everything else. The bakery was as popular as ever, especially crowded since Beck loves to hangout there all the time. He really wasn't kidding when he said that people noticed him everyday. I wasn't complaining though, he's helping my business hehe. Jade and Beck let me stay with them a little longer because neither of them wanted me to live on my own right now. Andre agreed with that accommodation by stating that Robbie might just bother me on my own.

Andre's girlfriend, Tori Vega, came back from tour the other night and the five of us (Andre, Tori, Beck, Jade, and me) had dinner at Andre's apartment tonight. For about a good 15 minutes, Jade and I had star struck moments with Tori, shooting her a question a minute. We were slightly embarrassed but she happily answered everything we asked. After a while the three of us girls fell into comfortable vibes and became friends.

While Andre and Beck watched the game on TV, Tori, Jade and I were in the kitchen eating the last of the pie from dessert. I fell silent during the last part of dinner and naturally they were concerned.

"I'm so glad Andre has friends who know what it's like to date a public figure."

Jade and I slightly blushed, "We're sorry about earlier, Tori. We're big fans, but we really do want to be your friend," I explained.

"Yeah, if it makes you feel any better, when I introduced Beck to Andre and Rob, they freaked out."

"Haha oh boys. So Cat, did you have boyfriends who had to deal with your status? I mean you obviously are known with your acting history and your renowned bakery."

"I wouldn't call my bakery famous, but not really. I did date a tool named Danny. Jade figured out he liked me for being an actress then cheated on me after I decided to concentrate on baking. "

"What a scumbag." Tori replied.

"Yeah well since Danny, my love life hasn't been all too great."

"Oh I'm sorry, Cat. Did your next boyfriend find out about that too?"

"Uh, Tori…" Jade said timidly.

"No, it's ok Jade. We can tell her." I said dejectedly. Tori was waiting for me but I couldn't muster any words. So Jade decided to speak.

"Cat dated Robbie a couple weeks ago but they fell into a setback recently."

"Oh, he broke up with his other girlfriend? Thank God. Aw now that I see it, you two look cute together." Tori said to me.

"We went to high school with Andre and Robbie. We were best friends."

"Oh my God. Cat Valentine? So _you're_ the girl Robbie always talked about."

"Huh?" I finally found my voice and that's all I was able to say. _Stupid Cat_.

"Yeah, I met him when I first dated Andre. He was crying at the bakery, which before was Miss Georgia's, and he was telling us about this girl he knew in high school that he loved but never told her. I thought it was sweet. But then we met this girl Lisa like two days later, which was strange."

"Yeah, we're on par with that part then," Jade said to Tori.

"So what happened? I don't see Robbie as the type to do anything atrocious in a relationship."

"How do I put this…" Jade was at a loss for words. Tori was anxious to hear the rest of the story and I knew we couldn't go anywhere with it if she didn't know his secret. It's not like she doesn't know the value of privacy.

"Robbie's August Love." I blurted.

"Robbie Shapiro? No way!" Tori said in disbelief.

"Yeah, and his stories and paintings were all about Cat."

"Oh my God how cute! But wait, what's the problem?"

"The problem is he's telling my secrets to the world while still preserving his own identity."

"So people found out?"

"No, but just knowing that he didn't ask my permission for this upsets me."

"Did he even try to ask you once you found out?"

"Cat's been avoiding Robbie for about a month now."

Tori reflected for a moment. "I understand where you're coming from Cat. It makes sense and you had every right to be mad, but you can't avoid him forever."

"I know that. I just don't know when or if I'll ever be ready to talk to him. I'm a mess."

Tori came over and gave me a hug. "You know what you need? One evening to let loose and just unwind. What is it that you enjoy?"

"Art, music, a nice glass of wine." I giggled.

"Well I've got just the thing. Are you and Robbie at least being civil about things?"

"I think he's getting the picture that I don't want to talk to him so he stopped chasing me to corners if he knows I'm around. Why?"

"Andre's throwing a welcome back party for me on Saturday and you ladies should go. The thing is, I too love Robbie's work and the venue was already booked months ago, before I left for tour. It's at the art gallery downtown and some of his work is displayed there."

"So Robbie might be there," Jade pointed out.

"Exactly. But hey, if you two can be civil towards each other, I think you'll enjoy yourself."

"Yeah and don't worry Cat; Andre, Beck and I will be there so we'll make sure you two keep your distance. C'mon, it'll be fun." Jade said.

"All right I'll go. But only because I'm going for Tori and Andre. Thanks you guys."


	13. Chapter 13

"Hi you guys! Thanks so much for coming to my welcome back party!" Tori attacked Jade and me with hugs while Andre and Beck greeted each other. "So there's the bar and some food. The balcony is where the music is and the exhibit's that way. Go. Mingle!"

We thanked Tori and went over to the bar to get some champagne. Beck and Andre went outside while Jade and I wandered inside.

"Jadey, you don't have to stay here with me, it's ok. Go be with Beck."

"Now what kind of a best friend would I be if I abandoned you at our first Hollywood party?" Jade winked and nudged me, "You can't get rid of me that easy, Valentine."

Jade and I mingled with a few producers who recognized me and Jade from her films for a couple of hours. It was nice not to think about any of my troubles and I was able truly enjoy myself. That feeling didn't last long because at around 10pm Robbie showed up. Tori, Beck and Andre appeared about five seconds after. "Hey Cat. There's Robbie."

Before I had a chance to speak Robbie was already in the circle.

"Hey Guys."

"What's up Rob?"

"Yeah, long time no see, Bro. What have you been up to?"

He glanced my way but when he saw that I didn't budge he spoke again, "Just busy with a new project. It's… getting there."

"Uh… Robbie! Come say hi to everyone, my manager hasn't seen you in forever. He'd love to catch up." Tori pried him away from the group. She glanced back and Jade mouthed a 'thank you' for me.

I had to use the restroom, which was down the hall where the art gallery started. When I came out of the restroom I tried to walk past the paintings, but that art loving nature in me wanted to stop and gawk at them. I took in every painting, so awestruck by the artistic ingenuity these artists depicted on canvas. I made my way down the exhibit hall until I reached the next section. August, I mean Robbie's 'For My Valentine' series had a room of it's own. I must have blocked out the noise around me because I didn't hear Jade calling my name and walking up to me. She tapped me on the shoulder to break me from my subliminal thoughts.

"Hey Kitty-Cat. Are you ok?"

"Yeah sorry, I just got lost for a sec."

We ogled at the paintings in silence.

"What are you thinking?"

I sighed, "It's different… Now that I know it's about me."

"Do you think your take on them are altered now?"

"Honestly, no. I just see that they have an underlying implication. 'A Tearful Goodbye', for example, I figured that's when you and I left for New York. It was our goodbye at the airport. I was going to tell him I loved him, but I chickened out. He was probably going to do the same thing."

Jade noticed a tear started to form in the corner of my eyes and went over to comfort me.

"Cat, you still don't believe he'd do this to intentionally hurt you, do you?"

"I don't know Jadey," I sniffed, "It's not that anymore, it's just… When Robbie and I started talking again I told him a lot of things. I'm not afraid he'll write about it because I'm sure he will, I'm just disappointed that I put so much trust in someone, and he fooled me."

Jade wanted to say something but she knew better not to. I value her judgment but she's a woman of her own mind and never oversteps.

"Cat?"

Jade and I turned around and standing about 5 feet from us was Robbie.

"Look, Robbie-" Jade started.

"No, it's ok. Jade, can we go home now? Sorry to cut the night short."

"It's fine, Cat. I'll go get Beck, ok?" I nodded and Jade left. Robbie and I were just standing there. I don't know why I wanted Jade to leave and why I was lounging around not talking. A part of me really did miss him, but my foolish pride was getting in the way. I decided after a minute that it was time to leave. I started towards the door but Robbie stopped me.

"Cat, wait. Can I just look at you? I need to see you at least."

"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Robbie." I walked a little faster outside of the building.

I barely got a chance to catch my breath as the cold air rushed through my veins. Robbie followed me shortly; he was determined to get to me.

"Cat, will you please just listen? Hear me out."

When I didn't speak, pull away, or cry, he continued.

"I wrote those stories and painted those things because of you, yes, but they were _for_ _you_ as well. I never got a chance to tell you my feelings in high school. They were pretty obvious but sometimes you just didn't catch the signs."

"Oh, so I'm stupid? We're back to that again? You're saying it's my fault that I didn't catch on to your hints?"

"Cat, no, you got it all wrong."

"Of course I got it all wrong, because I'm just an oaf who didn't see what your art really meant."

"But you did, when you talked to me about them. I wanted you to express what you felt so I could make sure you got the message."

"Well I'm sorry for not being so quick on my feet to solve your underlying meanings. All those times you told me to express myself, you led me to believe I was smart. I told you things I didn't tell anyone. You saw me at my lowest point, I told you my flaws. You made me believe that what I said was good enough. But you were just like that artist, wanting to hear my silly responses just so you can laugh it off."

"Cat, no. I meant what I said. I'm just afraid to express myself… to you especially."

"Well time is running out Robbie Shapiro, and if you can't practice what you preach and express yourself, then why bother? No man has ever been sincere to me, said anything romantic other than empty 'I love you's and then you come back into my life. So many people give you credit for being such a good guy and for a while you actually had me believing it. I never thought that I'd be good enough for someone smart like you, but I fell for it. I fell for you and you didn't catch me."

"But I did."

"Robbie, how am I supposed to believe anything you say now when you've been hiding a part of your life from me? A part of me thinks you never really listened to me. That this was just a job and you were doing research."

"But Cat, you have to understand that August was created to protect me, to protect you so no one would suspect anything."

"The only person you are protecting is yourself from getting hurt. Because you've already hurt me. Go ahead and live your secret life, but I don't want any part of it."

"Cat…"

I couldn't talk to him anymore, I was on the verge of tears and I couldn't stop them from falling. I wiped a few aside and decided to end this conversation, "Anyways, it doesn't matter anymore. And hey, maybe you can use this situation as a twist to your next story or painting, since I'm such an 'inspiration' to you and all."

Beck pulled up and I ran to his car. If I stayed there any longer I would have broken down entirely. As Beck drove away I couldn't help but watch Robbie in my side mirror. It hurt me to watch his figure becoming smaller until I couldn't see him standing there; much like how the memory of him was painfully eroding my heart.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter isn't based on any personal dialogue from me, but I can tell you that this was the strategy I used with 2 other friends to bring a couple back together. We didn't meddle, but we got the truth across to both of them and they made up on their own :). That is all.

* * *

**No POV**

What happened the night of Tori's welcome back party between Cat and Robbie was supposed to be private. Little did they know Andre was behind the door the whole time, failing at his effort to stop Robbie from getting to Cat, but decided not to interrupt because this might have been Robbie's only chance to explain himself. Of course things did not go in Robbie or Cat's favor, as Andre heard, and decided it was time to step in.

Andre called Jade, Beck, Trina and Tori over to his apartment the next morning. "Hey y'all. I called you here today because we care about two certain individuals who are supposed to be together. But clearly they're not."

"Cat and Robbie?" Beck asked.

"Yes, Cat and Robbie, babe. Are you kidding me?" Jade smacked Beck's arm.

"Ow, sorry babe it's just too early to think straight."

"Hehe you two really are a married couple. Awww!" Tori squealed.

"_ANYWAYS_…" Andre continued, "Even though Cat and Robbie don't want us to meddle, we have to at least try to get them to understand where they're both coming from. I mean that's not bad is it?"

"Yeah, but Cat and Robbie did _not _end things well." Tori said.

"Yeah when Jade and I picked her up she was crying. Poor thing." Beck added.

"That's all true, but what they didn't know is I was behind the door because I tried to stop Robbie, but he was too fast. By the time I caught up I overheard them talking and I didn't want Rob to miss his chance to talk to Cat. But it didn't end well."

"What happened?" Trina questioned.

"Misinterpretation on Cat's end, and uncertainty on Robbie's end."

"Ouch." Beck and Trina answered.

"But they love each other, we can all see that. So we gotta split up and talk to the both of them. See what we can get at them and what they can tell us."

"And we need to do it before it's too late." Jade added.

"What do you mean?" asked Tori.

"The other night I saw some lease papers in Cat's things. She's thinking of selling the bakery and moving back to New York." Jade revealed.

"Oh chizz. We gotta go. Like NOW. Beck, you and me will talk to Robbie. Ladies, you take Cat. We'll reconvene later tonight."

"GOT IT." They all said and left Andre's apartment.

* * *

**-At the Bakery-**

"Hey Cat, can we talk?" Jade asked.

"Hi ladies. Sure. Stella can you watch the register for a while? We're just going to chat on the rooftop."

"Sure thing, Cat." Stella smiled. The ladies made their way to the rooftop and sat Cat down.

"So what's up ladies?"

"First things first, are you ok?" That was Tori, so motherly to everyone, concerned with their emotions.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, Cat. You can't hide from us. We'll find out sooner or later." Jade demanded.

Cat gave in, "I ended things with Robbie. If he doesn't want to tell me to my face everything he's ever wanted to and instead hides behind some pen name, then I don't want to be with him."

"But what if that's the only way he _can _tell you his feelings?" Trina said.

"True love isn't supposed to be fearful of anything. He's scared that his identity will be revealed. Uh hello? He wrote about _ME_! I'm the one who should be paranoid."

"He's trying to show you his real feelings though," Jade defended.

"Actions speak louder than words, Jadey. You know that."

"But Cat, can't you see everything he's been trying to do? How many times has he tried to talk to you? Countless times. This guy's relentless. That's dedication right there. Mhm!" Trina said.

"Or creepy stalker status." Cat argued.

"There's no winning with you, is there?" her best friend sighed.

"Nope" Cat said matter-of-factly.

The three girls looked at each other in defeat. This conversation would go nowhere. Trina and Tori stood up and started to leave, "All right but if there is anything you need, we'll be here" Tori said. "Jade, you coming?"

"Be there in a bit."

When Tori and Trina left, Jade turned to Cat. She had a strong face on and her arms were crossed. But she knew Cat had more to say.

"Cat, you rained buckets last night. Kept us up 'til 4 in the morning. You don't expect me to think that this tough girl act is working do you?"  
Cat's face softened, "Jade…"

_"Will you ignore your stupid pride for one minute and just let it all out, please?!"_

"What do you want me to say?! That I love him? That I can't stop and I don't think I'll ever get over him? Fine! That's all true. But if his idea of a grand gesture is telling me he love's me through a fictional character, how would I know he loves me back for real?"

"Look, when I found out he said it was that he wanted to keep his identity private for you and him. He doesn't care about the money. He only cares about you. He created August Love so that you wouldn't know it's about you right away so that if he ever got the chance, he'd tell you his feelings before you figured out it was him. Of course he wanted you to feel the connection and eventually he would have told you, but he never meant for you to think of it as a laugh or think of you as just a job. He really means it."

"Really?" Cat was at this point tearing up.

"Yeah, Cat. He loves you. But I'm on your side though; if he can't man up and show you the real him, then you shouldn't have to deal with that."

"Thanks, Jade." Cat hugged her best friend.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Cat wiped a few tears before answering. "I don't know. I honestly messed this up and dragged it too far. I didn't believe him. And if you love someone you're supposed to trust them. Robbie needs August for his protection. And I need to respect that. Robbie's August Love, best selling author and artist, and I'm just Cat Valentine, a baker from Los Angeles and a struggling actress with barely a dime to her name. He's going places and I'm not. Life can't always be like the fairytales."

"I'm sorry Kitty-Cat." Jade comforted her.

"Me too."

"And don't go back to New York because of a boy. You're better than that."

Cat smiled and gave her best friend a sincere hug. "I'm not going anywhere, Jadey."

* * *

**-At Robbie's Loft-**

"Yo Rob! You home?!" Andre yelled across the front door to the empty loft.

"Hey Andre! I'm in the patio!" Robbie yelled from across the room. Andre and Beck made their way to the patio. Robbie's canvas was set up there and surely when they reached the patio, he was setting up his paints.

"Hey Robbie, cool work station."

"Thanks, I just set up the canvas, I'm kind of stuck on what to paint though. So what's up?"

"About last night, how you holdin' up bro?" Andre asked his best friend.

"I got out of bed this morning. That's a start."

"That bad?" Beck questioned.

"You have no idea Beck."

"Rob I gotta tell you something. I kind of heard your conversation with Cat last night. I was trying to stop you from getting to her and when I was about to bust the door open I heard you two talking but I didn't interrupt 'cause that might have been your only chance."

"It's cool, 'Dre. So you heard. I messed up. Big time."

"No you didn't Rob. This ain't over."

"Yeah, Andre's right. You might still have a chance." Beck said then looked at Andre and whispered "How exactly?"

"Shhh just go along," Andre whispered back.

"Cat told me to give it a rest. And I'm finally going to respect her wishes."

"Are you freaking kidding me right now?! The one time I tell you to do something about it, and you decide to listen to Cat?"

"That's the thing, Andre. She claimed that I didn't listen. But I _did_. I heard every word she said and that's what made me love her even more. She told me stuff. Stuff I wouldn't use against her, not in a million years. I mean yeah I'm writing about us right now in my new novel, but I would _never_ add her personal secrets. I just wish she knew that. So I'm listening to her and showing that I will respect her wishes and leave her alone. I can't ask her to be a part of my secret."

"Did you ever think that you're secret doesn't need to be a secret anymore?" Beck stated.

"What are you talking about? I need that secret for privacy."

"For privacy or protection?" Beck posed.

"It's the same thing."

"No it's not. Look, I may not have known Cat for as long as both of you, but I was a part of her life for the past 3 and a half years because of Jade. Cat is the romantic type and I know that you had good intentions writing and painting all those things for her or about her or whatever, but sometimes words are just words until you show her what you mean."

Andre saw where Beck was going with this. "Yeah man, it's like that saying Actions speak louder than words. Robbie and August can both exist, but Robbie should be the one telling Cat he loves her."

"Stop hiding behind that guy. Cat wants _you_."

"But the loss of privacy…" Robbie started.

"Think about it man, who's more important, Cat or August?" Beck said.  
Robbie paused for a rather long time.

"Dude I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't say the right answer" Andre joked.

Robbie chuckled. "You guys know my answer. But what do I do?"

"Robbie I'm only saying this as your best friend and I care about you… You're not good with words on the spot. No wonder why you work sleepless nights perfecting your stories. So do just that. Consider thoroughly what you want to say to her, but also show her. And when the time is right, you'll know."

"Thanks Andre…. Oh my God. I got it."

"Got what?" Beck asked confused.

"My next painting. Get out."

"What? We can't stay and shoot some pool?" Beck whined.

"We gotta bounce, Beck. Robbie's artsy mood is not pretty. Trust me."

"Oh fine. Later, Rob."

* * *

**-Back at Andre's Apartment-**

Beck, Andre, and Jade were the only ones who met because Tori was at the studio recording a song and Trina was at the bakery helping Cat.

"What do we got on Cat's end?" Andre asked Jade.

"I told her the truth about Robbie's reasons for being August Love. She still loves him but she won't go back to him. Has something to do with identity issues."

"Yeah, well that's how it went down on our end. Beck actually did a good job knocking some sense into Robbie."

"Oh my God, you guys hurt him and didn't invite me?!" Jade complained.

"No babe, what Andre means is that I talked to him about it and what I said really sunk in. He has to figure out his priorities first. And we hope Cat's at the top."

Jade was bummed that there was no violence but was hopeful for what Beck said to Robbie.

"So what is Robbie going to do?" she asked.

"No idea. He had to paint so we left. Wish we knew though." Andre said.

_Bzzzzt_.

_Jade, can we talk? I need your help. -Robbie_

"I think I'm about to find out," Jade said showing the guys Robbie's text.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hey guys. I added lines only to separate the TV with the conversation they were having at the bakery for you. It's not because it's a time marker, but just a way for you to read it better and not get confused which dialogue is coming from what place. Uh.. You'll understand once you read it.

* * *

"Oh My God! Is that Tori Vega?!"

"It _is_ Tori!"

"Tori!"

"Tori Vega can I get your autograph?!"

Oh goodness, these tourist folk see stars and go bonkers. It took Tori about 15 minutes before she was able to enter my bakery. Good thing I was already closed so Trina helped her shoo 'em away.

"Quite a crowd out there, Ms. Popular" I smiled at Tori.

"It's tough but I love my fans too much to say no to them. It's ok, comes with the territory."

"So where's Andre?"

"He's taking a call in the car. Seemed important."

Saying that, Andre's face was shoved to the door with the same flock of girls that mobbed Tori, this time calling out his name.

"Andre?!"

"Andre Harris!"

"Sing us a song!"

"Tori! Cat! Anybody! Let me in!" Andre said desperately banging on the door.

Cat and Tori laughed at Andre's petrified expression pushed as Trina let him in.

"Thanks Trina. Man those girls were vicious!"

Trina, Andre, and Tori made themselves comfortable with some leftover cupcakes and coffee while I was tallying the sales from today. Not noticing them for a while, I finally looked up at them.

"Guys, I love you and all, but it's a Friday night. What are you doing here?"

The three of them briefly smirked at each other without me noticing and acted like they never heard my remark. I thought something fishy was going on when they ignored my statement and spoke up again.

"Ok seriously, I'm never going to bake a red velvet cupcake for as long as I live if someone doesn't tell me what the hell is going on."

"Wait! No! I'll tell!" Andre was a sucker for my cupcakes.

"Babe!" Tori yelled.

"Of course, the way to a man's heart is his stomach. Guys are so weak." Trina scoffed.

I laughed while the girls smacked Andre.

"Ok seriously, why are you here?"

"Ok, Look lil' Red… We're uh all here because… we got no other plans."

"Bite me."

"I'm serious, Jade's got something for work and Beck's with her…"

"And we don't even know where Robbie is," Tori finished.

"I just got off the clock 10 minutes ago," Trina added.

"And _why_ is my bakery better than enjoying a Friday night out in town?"

"Free cupcakes." Andre said as he bit into his third one.  
"That and we wanted to hangout with you." Tori smiled.

I guess that was a good reason so I didn't bother to ask any more questions. It was quiet for a while. I finished up counting the register, Trina was reading a magazine, Tori was texting, and Andre was on his 6th cupcake. That boy just inhales those things.

"It's kinda quite." Tori said as she finally put her phone down. She looked at Andre and gestured him to do something. He got the message then spoke up.

"Uh yeah, why don't we turn the TV on? Cat do you mind?"

"No go ahead" I said as I wrote my list for the next day.

Andre turned the tube on and was flipping through the channels. Tori's phone beeped meaning she got a message, then squealed.

"Jade said her interview is on! Babe, turn it to channel 8!"

Interview? I didn't know Jade had an interview today. Andre flipped to the channel and sure enough, Becky, the reporter who ran into Jade at lunch a while back, was interviewing Jade on her new movie.

* * *

**_(Interview on TV in bold italics)_**

**_"Hi everyone and welcome back. If you're just tuning in then you're right on time. Here with me today is indie director Jade West, but it's no surprise that after this film, she'll be working with the big boys."_**

**_The crowd applauded Jade as she waved to them._**

**_"Hi everyone, thanks for having me. Becky you're too kind."_**

* * *

I wasn't looking at the screen because I was still doing my list, but I giggled because even without looking up I knew that Jade was so faking her nice girl act. Hehe that's my Jadey.

* * *

_**"So Jade, you're an indie film director, just moved here from New York and now you're on your way to Hollywood films. That is quite impressive. How do you find time for yourself?"**_

_**"Well I'm not gonna lie, it's hard but I make time for my friends. As much as I love what I do, I need to separate my work with my personal life. And since I moved to Los Angeles I've had quite a few days for myself so I'm good with my vacation."**_

_**"Great answer and good thing too. I'm sure all of you know that Jade's next project is a novel-inspired film from one of America's most in demand authors."**_

_**"Yes, I'm filming a movie based on an August Love novel."**_

_**"AUGUST LOVE?! EEEEEEEEP!" screamed every female in the studio audience.**_

* * *

"Ouch turn that down, Tori. Those girls are hurting my ears" Trina said.

"No, babe, keep it high" Andre stopped Tori and gestured towards me. "Cat, are you ok with the TV?" Andre asked me.

I thought Andre meant with the noise level, but he was also implying that since this interview was about Jade's film, they were bound to talk about Robbie, or August, for a good 10 minutes.

"It's fine Andre." I said but didn't look up. A part of me didn't want to listen, but I decided I'm listening for Jade, not Robbie.

* * *

**_"So your next film is a romance movie. And I understand you brought a special someone here tonight?"_**

**_"Yes I did actually. Can I bring him out?"_**

**_"Of course, yes! Come on out… Robbie Shapiro!"_**

* * *

"Did he just say Robbie?!" Andre (fake) gasped. I was a little shocked too, but I needed to hide any emotions and keep to my work. I felt eyes on me from Trina, Tori and Andre, and when I didn't budge I heard Tori sigh and they turned back to the interview.

* * *

**_Robbie shyly walked over and sat next to Jade. _**

**_"Hi everyone. Thanks for having me here."_**

**_"Thanks for coming, Robbie. So Jade, when we set up your interview and I told you about the romance film segment, I was curious as to the guest you chose to feature with you. I mean all the viewers would have assumed you'd convince August Love to come on TV with you, but I guess he's still keeping his identity from us. Sorry ladies (the ladies in the audience sadly "aww"ed at the statement). But here is Robbie Shapiro. I can't help to think that maybe Robbie is a special man in your life? (The audience "ooo"ed and whistled)_**

**_"Oh goodness no" Jade said as she and Robbie laughed and reassured the audience with their hand gestures._**

**_"Beck Oliver is my husband."_**

**_When the camera panned to Beck, all the females in the audience screamed._**

**_After a minute Jade continued, "No, Robbie here is one of my best friends from high school. And if we're talking romance, he's the most romantic person you'll ever meet."_**

**_"Oooh really? So then Robbie have you ever pursued Jade?"_**

**_"Even if I did, which for the record I never have, I wouldn't say it in front of Beck because he might deck me" Robbie chuckled which made the audience, including Beck, laugh as well._**

**_"Robbie's actually part of the project. He's assisting with the script writing."_**

**_"Really? So August isn't working on the script with you?"_**

**_"Uh… well… sort of. But like I said, Robbie's a true romantic. And I know that his love life helps with that idealistic mind."_**

**_"Love life, aye? Robbie, has your love life paralleled to something like August Love would write about?"_**

* * *

"Can you guys please change the channel?" I interrupted. The three were so absorbed with the interview and shocked to hear anger in my voice.

"No, Cat. Listen." Andre said.

"I don't want to and I don't have to." I said and started to walk away. Tori and Trina jumped me and carried me to the couch. "Let go of me!"

"Sit down, Cat." Trina demanded.

"Look, we care about you. All we ask is that you sit here and watch the rest of the interview. If you still want to leave afterwards then I promise we will stop. I _promise_." Andre said to me.

I thought for a second. These guys wouldn't quit, I just know it. Ugh, if it takes putting this whole Robbie thing to rest, then I'll bare with it this one last time.

"Fine, but after this, I'm done." I sprawled on the couch with Tori and Trina on either side of me in case I made a run for it and Andre sitting close by.

I reluctantly directed my attention to the TV to finish watching the interview. Robbie Shapiro, you better have a good reason for bringing our friends into this.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hi CabbieLoverSAC22 you asked me in a review from earlier chapters why the name "August Love"? I wanted to PM you but I thought maybe everyone else would want to know. My friend's middle name is 'August' and she paints the pictures that I've been describing as Robbie's. She names her paintings "For my Love" for her boyfriend so I kind of used the 'Love' part of her title's as Robbie's pen name but kept the series name the same and added Cat's last name. That's my reason. But in this chapter, Robbie will subtly hint why _**he**_chose the name 'August Love'. Lol yeah. Thanks for your reviews! Also thanks to Pensmith and sshaw101 for your support as well :) You're what keeps me motivated.

* * *

**_"There was this girl I was so fond of in high school. I had the whole puppy love affect- butterflies in my stomach, I'd melt like putty whenever she touched me, and my voice would sound like an old rusty car trying to start up every time she spoke to me. But she was just a friend. She had lovers and I had nobody special. As much as she broke my heart every time she had a boyfriend, I still wanted her. But, she left for New York before I had the chance to man up and tell her how I really felt. I hoped that maybe if I told her indirectly how I felt that maybe she'll realize through my shyness my true feelings and come back to me. But instead, I made it worse."_**

**_Robbie turned his head to the monitor. _**

**_"I never meant to hurt to you this way, never thought it would. I was trying to be brave but what good is that if I have no one to be brave for. I don't want to hide. I don't want to be scared. I don't want to hurt you anymore._**

**_Sometimes words cannot express what I really mean so I illustrated my emotions on canvas so that you would see how much you mean to me. Everything I've ever done was for you, my Valentine."_**

**_"Ooo how sweet, Robbie. Expressing your love to a girl by quoting August Love."_**

**_Jade laughed, "Oh trust me Becky, it's more than that."_**

**_"What do you mean?" Becky questioned. _**

**_Jade signaled for Robbie to continue. The audience was silent, everyone attentively listening at the edge of their seats._**

**_"It's not witty if what I'm saying is intended for the girl who inspired those novels and paintings."_**

**_"Wait, you mean to tell us that you know who August's mystery girl is? Not a single person could ever decipher who that girl is let alone who August is. Can you tell us who's the girl?"_**

**_"She's the same girl I met back in high school. It was on that breezy _****_August_****_ morning that I fell in _****_Love_****_ with her and I still am very much."_**

**_"So you're saying that two men fell in love with the same girl?"_**

**_Robbie timidly paused and turned to Jade for help. When she couldn't do anything but shrug apologetically, he sighed but then twisted his worried appearance into a confident one. As much as Andre told him to think this through, Robbie needed to man up and go off script. This was his last chance. He had to speak from the heart._**

**_"You know what, I'm tired of this. I'm tired of being afraid. I thought I was protecting my privacy but I would regret having my secret being the cause of forever losing the woman I truly love. Pain beats regret any day, and I don't want to regret any more than I have with her."_**

**_Robbie took a deep breath, glanced at Jade for an encouraging smile, then at Beck in the audience for a supportive nod, then finally to Becky, "Only one man has ever felt that purest form of love for her because those two men are one and the same… I am August Love."_**

* * *

Oh. My. God. He did it. He confessed. But why?

* * *

**_The audience gasped and murmured to themselves of Robbie's shocking revelation. Then after realizing he confessed he was August, the crowd (well, the females in the crowd) went WILD. It took about 5 minutes and 10 security guards to calm the studio audience and for Robbie to come to realization that his secret has finally been exposed._**

**_"Ok, ok. Wow, what a show people! So many surprises. So Robbie, or August, or…?"_**

**_"Robbie. August Love is a pen name."_**

**_"Ah I see. So all of your work was inspired by her? Every single one?"_**

**_"Yep. Even my latest painting."_**

**_A crewmember went on stage to hand Robbie a clothed canvas. After Robbie thanked the man, he revealed his latest creation. The painting depicted a night view of half of a café table and a chair looking across to a park. The warped night sky was illuminating with the bright round moon, like a marshmallow. Snuggled near the foot of the café chair was a beautiful smoky cat. And on the table was a tiered display of red velvet cupcakes. The napkin beside it etched his signature title "For my Valentine"._**

**_"Wow, Robbie this is beautiful. Can you explain your newest creation?"_**

**_"Certainly. Well, this is for my Valentine. Literally. It's actually my most revealing painting yet. But what fun is it if I won't let you guys guess… Anyways, the night always represents a more romantic setting but I did it because I wanted to illustrate the fullness of the marshmallow moon."_**

**_"Marshmallow moon, how cute" Becky giggled. Robbie and Jade simply smiled, the only two knowing why he'd even give the moon that nickname._**

**_"Thanks. The reason I painted this smoky cat was because of what I think a cat symbolizes. This cat symbolizes love. Cats show love when you pet/touch them. Cats are cuddly. They symbolize strength. They are also defensive. But only because they are so delicate, more so than dogs, that they need to protect themselves from harm. Cats also symbolize energy. They have a very good amount of energy. They can pounce from place to place and simply bring a smile to your face every time."_**

**_"That's beautiful, Robbie. But I have to ask, what are the cupcakes for?"_**

**_"Oh," Robbie blushed, "I love cupcakes. Cupcakes…. Make me happy" he smiled._**

**_"Another radiant original from August- er sorry, Robbie Shapiro everyone! Well that's all the time we have for tonight. Jade, Robbie. Thanks for joining us!"_**

* * *

Andre turned the TV off and the four of us sat motionless staring at the blank screen completely flabbergasted.

"Well, that wasn't really the plan… But I guess that's better, right?" Andre started.

"What do you mean?" I asked Andre.

"Robbie was only supposed to apologize and tell you how much he loves you," Trina said.

"But nobody suspected he would reveal his secret. Wow, I'm still in shock" Tori added.

"What do you guys think changed his mind?" Trina questioned.

"I don't know, probably he was finally listening to his heart." Andre said. The three of them turned my way with hopeful gazes. I really didn't know what to do. I was conflicted.

"I was always told to listen to my heart. But until now, it always led me to the wrong guy. Just once I want my heart to lead me somewhere where there's a chance of a happy ending. What makes Robbie any different than the other guys?"

"Because Robbie isn't the other guys, lil' Red. If your heart led you to the wrong guys but brought you back to Robbie and kept you there, then maybe it really is leading you to your happy ending."

Hm. Andre does have a point. Was it really worth it? Is Robbie worth it?

"So… what are you going to do now?" Tori suggested.

"… I'm gonna go," I said and got up.

"What? After all this? _Cat-"_

"You didn't let me finish, Tori. I'm gonna go… to the studio. Andre can you drive me?"

Tori, Trina and Andre cheered excitedly.

"Of course, lil' Red, let's go!"

"We'll lock up for you!" Trina said as she and Tori continued to celebrate.

Robbie Shapiro, if that's you idea of a grand gesture… Here's mine.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Binnie-Bunny how could I forget you! I'm so sorry, but I do appreciate you're reviews along with the others :) Oh and if you guys are wondering why I'm dragging Cat's thing, I feel like Robbie did enough chasing in this story. It's Cat's turn, am I right?

* * *

Murphy was making a mockery of my impulsiveness. Andre's car was surrounded by those damn girls from earlier so it took us nearly 10 minutes to get inside his car. We had to ask Tori to distract them. Poor thing, but what a trooper. But that was all for nothing because Andre's car somehow wouldn't start. So we grabbed a cab instead. I swear to you we hit every freaking red light and had the slowest cab driver in the history of the world. To make matters worse, we were three blocks from the TV studio when two cars has a fender bender in the middle of the intersection so we got stuck in traffic. I couldn't take it anymore. Andre told me to run the rest of the way and he'll meet me there. I did just that. I ran all the way to the studio with one thing, well, on _person_ on my mind: Robbie.

I got to the studio and the guard told me where Becky's talk show was. I was breathless once I found a familiar face. Beck was standing to the side while Jade was talking to Becky. I didn't see Robbie yet but I'm sure Beck knew where he was.

"BECK! Where's Robbie?"

"Hey Cat! Whoa catch your breath. Are you here by yourself?"

"No, Andre and I got a cab but there was an accident a couple blocks down and I left Andre in the cab. But back to my first question. Where's Robbie?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I. Don't. Know. After the interview he talked Becky and Jade for a few minutes then he and I talked for a while. Security escorted him away from the screaming girls."

"When did he leave?"

"Probably 10 minutes ago?"

"Dammit! I swear we had the worst luck coming here. Maybe it's not meant to be…" I started losing faith.

"Cat, don't say that. I mean, did you not watch the interview?"

"I did, that's why I'm here. I wanted to see if it was for real."

"Oh, it was real all right. That was _not_ part of the plan."

"I know that's what the they said back at the bakery. If he had a plan, why would he go off script?"

"Well, you're here aren't you? Maybe that grand gesture of his worked. What were you going to tell him anyways?"

"I don't know… I guess I never really had a plan myself. I just had the mindset of coming here to see him and now I missed my chance." I started to tear up, but held them back as much as I could. Beck noticed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Cat. For what it's worth, when he and I were talking I asked him what changed his mind. You know what he said?"

"What?" I barely whispered.

"He was stupid to hide his love for you all these years. Why hide his emotions? Robbie sacrificed a lot today but I think he knew what he was doing. He is so in love with you that it's time the world knew. You're his everything, kid."

"Beck, was it worth it? Sacrificing your privacy for all this?"

"I didn't do it for the job. I'm an actor because I love acting. Everything I do, I do it with passion. And sometimes the most passionate things are the hardest things to keep private. But so long as you remember why you did something in the first place, then yeah, I guess it's worth it."

"But what about Jade?"

"The answer's simple," Jade interjected from behind us, "I love him."

She went over to Beck and he embraced her comfortingly. "And I love her."

"True love takes sacrifices, Kitty-Cat. But it's totally worth it because you can't find a better feeling in anything or anyone else."

Jade was right. They were all right. All this time I just needed to listen to my heart.

"I wish I could tell you where he went kiddo, but he didn't tell me anything," Beck said. "Want me to ask the others to look for him?" Beck asked.

"No."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Jade asked.

When I didn't answer right away Beck knew. "Cat. Go find him."

I nodded at Beck, hugged Jade and ran out of the studio to hail a cab. I knew exactly where Robbie would be but I needed to go there alone.

* * *

A/N: I wanted to add the songs I used to inspire this story. Some make sense, others were just songs that took me out of writer's block. Maybe you guys will like these songs if you haven't heard of some.

The Story of Us- Taylor Swift

Greatest Story Ever Told- Oliver James

White Lies- Stacy Clark

Color Everywhere- Youth Asylum

Secrets- One Republic

Drama, Love & 'Lationships- Babyface

Sorry- Joe Jonas

Gone- Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland

What You Mean To Me- Sterling Knight

Are You Lonesome Tonight- Elvis Presley

The Truth- India. Arie

Fairytale Endings- Elephants and Crayons

And this song wasn't published while I wrote this, but once I heard it I thought I would have had a lot more inspiration with it. Plus this person is from Victorious!

**Forever- Leon Thomas III :)**


	18. Chapter 18

In the movies the hero or heroine is most of the time given a chance to well, be the hero. They're given second chances. Second chances to make things right, anticipate a different but not necessarily a better outcome, or take a shot at something they missed the first time. Well that's the movies, it's not real life. In real life rarely do we get second chances. So if you're handed one, don't you dare let it slip away. Take it and make the absolute most of it. If you're afraid that history will repeat itself, don't be. We're given second chances to make sure we do it right this time so we're on the right path to our futures.

With love, sometimes all you need is a second chance, because time wasn't ready for the first one. Robbie and I didn't work out in high school because time slipped away from our adolescent minds and we missed that chance. Our chance to be a couple happened so fast that we hit a bump in the road all too soon. I don't know if this time will be different, but I'm holding on to this one for as long as I can and doing whatever it takes to make things right, hope for the better, and take a shot at forever with Robbie. No pressure but that's what it's all come down to.

The cab took me to about 15 minutes up town. The scene was calmer, the shores just a few blocks down, and all the memories came flooding back at once. I thanked the cab driver and stood in front of the gates of my old high school, Hollywood Arts. If I knew Robbie, he'd come to the place where it all started. On that August morning freshman year we met at the Asphalt Café. Sure enough as I made my way to my destination, I found the boy I was looking for lying at the tables where we ate lunch at when we were younger; the same exact spot where we first met.

I meandered over then lied down at the same table right beside him, our shoulders practically touching. Robbie knew it was me, he didn't have to look over to make sure. It didn't matter anyways because we were both staring at the night sky gathering whatever tensions, feelings and audacity we had inside that hopefully one of us would speak up first. We stayed in that silence for God knows how long. It was just a few minutes really but that stillness was nerve racking. I took in a breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them I knew I was ready to talk.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked.

Robbie seemed a little startled by the sudden noise and I couldn't blame him, our school was in a quiet part of Los Angeles.

"Do what?"

"Robbie..."

Robbie took a deep breath. "Because… when you love someone, you can be yourself around them, and you don't have to pretend."

Why did those words sound so familiar? Oh wait, that's what I said! He really _did_ listen to me.

He turned his head to look at me. It took me a moment, then I turned as well and we met eye to eye. He continued, "You're a better person when they're around, you're happier…"

"Like when you see cupcakes." I added.

"Or a marshmallow moon." He smiled. "And you feel that no matter what, you'll be ok because you've got someone who-"

I interrupted Robbie by crashing my lips to his. All the emotions of sorrow, passion, sincerity and love that has build up in the weeks we were apart were empowering this kiss, that this is was the answer for us to finally breathe right. That this was _real_. We pulled away not 10 seconds later, all too soon but the kiss was perfect.

"I'm sorry for taking this long to tell you. I was a coward."

"Robbie you don't have to explain yourself it's ok."

"No, it's not ok. Cat, I was afraid of getting hurt but I never thought that I would ever hurt you. And I can never forgive myself for that. I love you Cat Valentine, I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember and I can't see myself loving anyone else."

"Really?" I mumbled, "Even after all this?"

"Even after all this. And if it means I never have to pick up a pen ever again to show you that I love you-"

"You don't have to do that, really. I reread all your novels and studied your paintings. I don't know why I was blind before but you really did show me your heart. I believe you, Robbie."

"Good." He smiled and embraced me. We stayed there lying on the table, me resting my head on his chest. Can it really be true? Am I finally happy? Is Robbie happy? I think so. Though there was one more thing I had to do to make things right with him.

"I've got a secret too, Robbie."

"You're not like the sixth Spice Girl or something are you?" He said playfully.

"No," I giggled. "But thanks for ruining the moment!" I slapped him on the arm.

"Ow, hey! I wasn't ruining the moment, just lightening the mood."

He kissed my forehead then I looked up at him. He set his eyes on mine, "So, what's your secret?"

"I love you too…"


	19. Chapter 19

**Epilogue**

_"'I love you too…' He kissed her under the marshmallow moonlight. So vivid and perfect, just like the girl in front of him. It's funny how things go full circle. That the very table where they were sitting was where he realized he loved her. And now 5 years later, he finally got his chance to tell her. He risked a lot of his private life to be with her, but in his eyes, his biggest risk would be to lose her again. Robbie knew tomorrow would be different, that everything would change. But that didn't matter to him because he wouldn't be alone anymore, he'd be with his one true love- Cat Valentine."_

I closed the book and examined the back cover. It was a picture of Robbie and me, the night we got back together. Below was a brief article explaining the story of his pen name. The front cover was the cat and café painting he drew for me as the cover art, and at the bottom of the book it read "_By Robert 'Robbie' Shapiro, formerly known as August Love." _Robbie decided to reveal who he was, and his latest story was what had happened to us since we rekindled a year ago- the exposed truth. I told him he didn't have to do that but he insisted because he didn't want to hide anymore. He was tired of his façade and wanted the world to know about our love.

Today was his launch party for the novel and I offered to host it at my bakery. It's been going on for a couple of hours but I escaped to sit on the rooftop to read the last pages with no one around but the night sky and of course that marshmallow moon that I loved so much. Everyone knows that the story is about Robbie and me (yes, I gave him permission) but I still wanted to read the book alone to embrace its sincerity.

Robbie found me hiding at the rooftop shortly after I finished reading.

"Hey baby, why aren't you downstairs with everyone else?"

"I just wanted to get away for a second. Come, sit with me."

Robbie willingly obliged and snuggled next to me on the couch.

He noticed I had a copy of his novel tucked under my arm. "So have you finished the story?" he said cheerfully knocking on the cover.

"Sure did, just now."

"What do you think?"

"I love it. You really have a way with words." I said and kissed his cheek. "Speaking of which, can I get an autograph with my copy?" I asked innocently.

"Sweetheart, you don't need an autograph, you see me everyday."

"But I've always wanted August Love's autograph!"  
"Oh you're going to play that card with me now, huh?" He laughed and poked my ribs.

"Ow! C'mon please?" I pouted.

"Baby, I'm not that good with words. I can't think of anything amazing from the top of my head. It takes me forever to write. You know that."

"It's ok just write anything. I'll love it."

"But-"

"Robbbieee, pweeease" I begged with my baby voice.

Robbie gave in. "Ok, fine, give it here…. Hm, what do I write?"

"Anything."

"So can I write a knock-knock joke?"

"Robbie, that's silly. No!"

"But you said I can write anything."

"Come on Hun, write from the heart. For me?" I said and batted my eyelashes. He'll give in, just watch.

"Ah you're so evil," he laughed. He opened my book to the front page and started to write. "Ok how about this, 'To my biggest fan!' or no, no, how about 'Dear Cat,' no.. 'My Dearest Cat, I. Love. youuu. Love Robbie'," he scribbled swiftly. "Done!"

Robbie slammed the book shut and handed it to me. He got up and held out his hand, "Come on, let's go back to the party."

"Aw baby, you need to write something sincere in my book!" I complained.

"What? Is not _'I love you'_ the best thing I could write?" He chuckled.

"Ugh, I guess…" I playfully scowled at him and opened the book to the first page. I cleared my throat and started reading aloud,

"Caterina Valentine, Will you marry-"

I abruptly paused wide-eyed, did a double take at the words he wrote, and realized what I had just recited. I looked up at Robbie and finished the line, "-me?"

Robbie was already on one knee still holding his hand out, but this time a diamond ring held in between his thumb and forefinger.

"What do you think?" he said with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

I returned his smile, "I think… that's the _best_ thing you've ever written."

I pulled him in for a loving kiss. He smiled at me, then was momentarily confused. "So… is that a yes?"

I answered him with another kiss, this time more passionate, forcing him on the couch, resulting in him lying pressed to my body. When we broke apart from our heated session I said 'yes' and rested my forehead against his. He slipped the ring on my finger and we intertwined hands.

"I love you, Robbie Shapiro."

"I love you more, Cat Valentine."

Remember when you were a little girl and your mother read those fairy tales to you? Then as you got older you were told not to believe in everything as a fairytale because in real life the witches and wizards are worse, and prince charming may not be your knight in shining armor. Sometimes happily ever after won't last, but sometimes it will. And it's with that ounce of hope that I have to say yeah, they were right. Life can't always be a fairytale like from the books, but who's to say we can't pick up a pen and write our own story? Because once you see past the typical prince charming and find your one true love, the ultimate love story that can ever be written is your own.

Just like his story said, tomorrow would be different. And it sure will be, but no matter what I'll have Robbie. And soon, I'll be his forever. Be on the look out for when he publishes his next novel about the story of us and the next chapter of our lives- marriage. I can't promise it'll all be peachy from here on out, but I can guarantee you that we'll live _happily ever after_.

**The End.**

* * *

**Well, that's my story everyone. Thanks for staying with me if you got this far. It really means a lot. Thanks for the favorites/follows and of course the reviews; especially from Binnie-Bunny, Pensmith and AriRedVelvetBow. A special thanks to CabbieLoverSac22 and sshaw101 for being supportive since the start and reading all my stories. Sshaw101, thank you especially for those conversations we had that inspired me to just be positive about everything, even when I had a bad day. I don't know if I should publish any more, you guys are such great writers in this community. But hey, if you want me to I have plenty more where this came from.**

**School may have started for many of you, and for the rest of us well we've got that daily grind so it's not that much of a change. With that, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read this story. I'll leave you all with this quote "Every day may not be good, but there's always something good in every day."**

**-AM**


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